


Learning to Fly

by NikAdair



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, HTTYD AU, Slow burn Klance, each of them take on different characteristics of all the characters, i’m not entirely sure what to tag for this, some lines stolen from the movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2020-02-15 22:57:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18679027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: A low rumble sounded from below, and Keith crouched, hiding behind a boulder, and peeked around the side. There, lying tangled in the ropes of his bola, was the Kosmic Wing. The afternoon sun reflected off its metallic scales - various shades of purples and blues scattering off of the dragon’s body. One of its wings was quirked up at an odd angle, trapped between two rope sections. Its breathing was shallow, appearing almost pained.“I did it. I really did it. Oh, this fixes everything,” Keith said, moving slowly out from behind the boulder. He took out his knife, holding it out in front of him as he approached the dragon. It opened an eye, staring at him as continued forward. He stopped an arm’s length away, staring back at it.“I’m going to kill you. I’ll take your heart and bring it to my father. I’m a viking,” Keith said, leaning close to the dragon’s face. “I’m a viking!” He brought the blade above his head, aiming for the dragon’s heart. It looked at him for a moment longer before letting its head fall to the side. Keith raised the blade higher before letting it fall to lay on his head. He looked over the dragon’s wounds, falling to his knees. “I did this.”





	1. Chapter 1

Marmora is a small village hidden away from the world. Located on a mountainous island, wild oceans surrounding it on all sides. The north side is covered in snow most of the year, while the southern side is covered in beaches. Forests stretch between both ends, a vast expanse of trees that can be seen from the sea. Marmora is located on the more southern edge of the island, a village of wooden houses and a great hall dug into the side of a cliff.

Hidden away, one would think that Marmora is the most peaceful village out there. The only visitors they get are the occasional traders that are brave enough to sail the roaring seas. War is rare, the other tribes keeping away due to Marmora’s reputation. But it’s not peaceful. Nightly fights are fought by the light of the stars and the tower fires. What they’re fighting? Dragons.

Great sky beasts of all colours. Fire breathers that burned houses to ash. Spiny creatures that shot spikes down at the village. Armoured beasts that barrelled through villagers. Twin headed dragons that sparked and ignited the night into orange light. Marmorans took pride in killing a dragon. A rite of passage into life.

Keith though? He was different. Where the other villagers saw death bringers, he saw creatures surviving, just like them. Yet his life dictated that he killed them. His father’s expectations dictated that he killed them. He didn’t want to, he’d never wanted to. But to be seen as a dragon lover in his village would be a disgrace to his father. To the chief.

-.-.-

The earth shook as the sky lit up yellow. The night sky a backdrop to shadows flying across it, lit only by the fire of burning buildings and pyres. Keith covered his head as a dragon flew past, its wing barely missing him. Heat seared past him, a line of fire appearing at his feet. It disappeared quickly, unable to catch on anything. It was enough for him to take a step back.

Village men ran past him, axes and bludgeons raised high as they chased the beast. Most didn’t spare him a glance, but a few shouted at him, telling him to go back inside. Keith waited until they’d passed before running through the village, keeping to the shadows. He made his way to the blacksmiths. Coran was there, already hard at work fixing swords and shields.

“Ah! Keith! Nice of you to join me!” Coran shouted, the clanging of metal resonating throughout the stall. “Pass me that axe in the forge before it melts into a puddle of metal.” Keith took a pair of tongs, reaching into the forge and taking hold of the blade. He was blasted with heat as he pulled it out, overturned coals ridding him of the chill that clung to him.

He put the blade on the anvil in front of Coran, the sound of metal on metal resonating around them. Keith threw more coal into the forge, stoking it and watching sparks fly into the air. It reminded him of the way a Deadly Nadder’s flame sparked at the edges of its fire. He looked up through the opening in the roof, smoke shifting in the wind.

A gust of wind rushed past them, and a shadow appeared outside the stall. “Keith get down!” A blast of orange heat shot towards them. Keith ducked, staying low as Coran threw a shield. The fire was cut short and there was a roar, the sound of splintering wood hitting the ground. Keith looked up, seeing a Monstrous Nightmare staring at them.

Its body was lit up in flames, the sky behind it distorting with the heat. Its eyes were trained on him, tracking his every move. Keith stayed still, looking back. He could see anger in its eyes, an obvious reaction to being attacked. But he also saw fear. Its movements were skittish, quick jerks at the noises coming from the village. It opened its mouth, flames starting to form in its throat.

“Oh no you don’t,” Coran said behind him. A hammer flew through the air, hitting the dragon’s snout. It growled and roared, turning and flying off to another part of the village. Keith stood, leaning out the window, watching it fly off. A rush of smoke covered his view, and when it cleared, the dragon was gone. He sighed, leaning an arm on the sill.

Coran walked over, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Nasty buggers, Monstrous Nightmares. Always setting themselves and everything else on fire.” He reached through the window, grabbing the lobbed hammer. There was a scorch mark on the end from where it had hit the dragon, but otherwise looked unharmed.

“Coran, why do we always have to fight them?” Keith asked, looking up into the sky. He saw a few Deadly Nadders flying away with sheep in their talons. A Zippleback followed after them, green gas filtering down to the ground. Not enough to catch a spark, but enough to be a warning.

He looked up at the blacksmith, seeing him looking after the dragons. Coran sighed, turning and walking back towards the forgotten axe. “You know why Keith. It’s either them or us.” He plunged the axe in a water basin, steam rising out of it. The  _ fwish _ of hot metal coming in contact with cold water briefly drowned out the crackle of the forge. Keith frowned, looking outside again.

“What if we could live together?” he whispered quietly to himself. The axe clattered to the ground behind him and he jumped, turning to find Coran staring at him. There was a look in his eye that he couldn’t place, but it made him uneasy. “I mean, where they leave us alone of course. There’s no way we’d be able to live together!” Keith added, holding his hands up in defence. He bit his lip, his heart racing.

This wasn’t something the son of the chief could just say. It’s not one that any Marmoran could say. He’d heard stories of his mother saying things like this, how the village thought she was crazy, but wouldn’t say anything because she was the wife of the chief. Keith knew his father didn’t approve of thoughts like this. “A dragon killed your mother because she got too close. Get those foolish thoughts out of your head,” he’d told Keith one night. He’d since known to keep them to himself.

Coran stares at him a moment longer before shaking his head. He picks the axe back up, putting it on the counter outside his window and sighs. “Be careful who you tell those things to boy. Some folks don’t take too kindly to that kind of talk.” The warning in his voice tells Keith that he’s talking about more than just his father. It sends a shiver down his spine, and he turns away from the blacksmith, stoking the fire again.

A familiar screech shot over them, and Keith ran the window. A streak of blue shot over them, fading almost as fast as it appeared. “A Kosmic Wing,” Keith whispered, leaning out the window. Stars blinked out of existence for a second before shining again as the dragon flew past them. A shot of green flew at one of the pyres, hitting the beam and sending it crashing down.

“Coran, you have to let me go out there. That’s a Kosmic Wing. If I kill it, my dad will finally see me as more than... this.” Keith gestured to himself. Coran quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms. Keith knew that look. He scowled, crossing his arms as well. “Coran, come on. Five minutes and my life will be changed.”

“You can’t even shoot a bow Keith, how do you expect to be able to take down a Kosmic Wing? Your strengths lie in sword fighting. Get close to that dragon, and not only will you be killed, but your father will kill me for letting you go after it,” Coran said, taking a mangled sword and throwing it in the forge. “You’re better off here, helping me get these villagers weapons.”

Keith huffed but didn’t argue. Coran was stubborn, he knew this, and when he made a decision, he very seldom changed it. Keith was handed a few more bent swords, putting them in the forge next to the other. They glowed bright orange, their forms wavering from the heat in much the same way the Monstrous Nightmare flame had done to the sky. He sighed, stoking the flame.

“Coran, we need you out here!” Keith turned, seeing a villager running past them. Coran picked up a bola and an axe, running to the door. He turned to Keith, stopping before he made it outside.

“You. Stay. There,” he said, punctuating each phrase with a shake of the axe. Keith rose his hands slightly, nodding. Coran looked him over once more and nodded, turning and running out into the village with a shout. Keith ran after him, looking outside to check that the coast was clear before grabbing a sword, a bola, and a shield. He ran around the stall, heading in the direction that he’d seen the Kosmic Wing flying.

He looked up into the night sky, eyes scanning the stars. “Come on, come on, where are you?” He caught movement to his right and shifted his gaze there. A streak of blue shot past him and he jumped, throwing the bola in the direction of the dragon. The throw sent his weight forward and he stumbled a few steps. Keith whipped his head up, watching the blue go down in the trees. A roar sounded, causing birds to take flight.

“Oh, I hit it. Yes I hit it! Did anyone see that?” Keith threw his hands in the air, turning around. A Monstrous Nightmare snorted at him, sending hot air in his face. His arms slowly fell, his smile falling. “Except for you?” The dragon narrowed its eyes, fire starting to flare up out the sides of its mouth. Keith stared for a second before dropping his sword and running.

The dragon chased after him, shooting flames at him. He ran through the village, over walkways and between houses, fire flying over his head and barely missing him. He felt heat sear his skin, and he brought the shield up behind him. Keith rounded a tower, hiding behind the post. The dragon shot fire at it, burning the wood and causing the tower the crack and fall.

He flinched as it crashed to the ground, and he turned, seeing the dragon staring at him. He raised his shield, hands shaking as he looked back at it. The dragon opened his mouth to shoot more flames, but only sparks came out. A hammer came flying towards it, hitting its snout. Keith turned, tracking the path the hammer took, and found his father dropping his hand and looking over at them.

“The beast is out of fire,” he said, his voice low as he stalked forward. The Monstrous Nightmare turned its attention away from Keith and towards his father. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get.” His father yelled, charging the dragon, and the dragon charged towards him. He caught the dragon by the mouth, hooking a hand on its jaw and tugging it to the ground.

The Monstrous Nightmare lit its body on fire, and Keith’s father let go, taking a few steps back. “Seems you’ve got a little juice left in there.” The dragon stalked low to the ground, eyeing his father, before turning and taking off. Keith watched as the dragon flew off. When he turned back to his father, he got a disapproving look, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a deep frown.

“Keith, what did I tell you about fighting dragons?” his father said, walking forward and grabbing his shoulder. Keith’s body slumped, letting his father drag him back to their house. “I already have enough to deal with. I don’t need you getting yourself killed.”

They stopped outside Coran’s stall, watching several Deadly Nadders fly off with a net of sheep. “Okay, but I shot down a Kosmic Wing,” Keith said, ducking his head slightly. His father sighed, shoving him towards Coran. “No, dad, I really did. It went down in the forest on the western side of the island. We need to go get it and-“

“Enough! Coran, make sure he gets back home. And make sure he doesn’t sneak off,” his father said. Keith opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it at the death glare he received. His father walked into the crowd of people that had surrounded them, disappearing into the dark village.

“Come on, let’s go.” Coran grabbed his shoulder, steering him towards his house. He could hear the other villagers laughing at him as he passed, saying things about how Keith was a disgrace to the chief. About how he would never amount to anything. He slumped forward at hearing all this, knowing they were right. He’d never killed a dragon, and he knew he never would.

“Coran, I really did hit it. I saw the blue streak go down. He never listens,” Keith muttered, standing outside the door. He sighed, leaning his head against. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. It’s like he’s ashamed that I’m his son.”

“It’s not that he’s ashamed that you’re his son. It’s that he knows you’re not a dragon killer.” Keith stiffened a little, turning slightly to look at Coran. “You don’t have the skills to fight with anything but a sword, and that’ll get you killed. You’re many things, but you’re not a dragon killer Keith.”

Coran sighed, turning to look back at the village. “You’re a lot like your mother, you know. She was an adventurer, sketching maps and drawings of the things she saw. But she could also never kill a dragon.”

Keith shook his head, opening the door. “I just want to be like you guys,” he said, slamming the door behind him. He made a noise of frustration. Frustration at not being taken seriously. Frustration at knowing that he’d disappointed his father again. But it was short lived. He took a few seconds to grab a knife and his notebook before he ran out the back door, heading for the western forests.

-.-.-

“No, not here. Not here either. For Thor’s sake.” Keith scribbled in his notebook, scratching out the map he’d made of all the places he’d looked. “Oh, the Gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon!” He made a noise of frustration, shoving his notebook into his pocket. “How did I lose a dragon?”

Keith reached forward, shoving a broken branch out of his way. It swung back, hitting him in the face and nearly knocking him over. “For Thor’s-” he started, rubbing at his face. His eyes followed the branch to the tree, seeing its splintered and broken base hanging off and pointing further into the forest. Keith followed it, finding a trench dug into the earth, until he reached a drop.

A low rumble sounded from below, and Keith crouched, hiding behind a boulder, and peeked around the side. There, lying tangled in the ropes of his bola, was the Kosmic Wing. The afternoon sun reflected off its metallic scales - various shades of purples and blues scattering off of the dragon’s body. One of its wings was quirked up at an odd angle, trapped between two rope sections. Its breathing was shallow, appearing almost pained.

“I did it. I really did it. Oh, this fixes everything,” Keith said, moving slowly out from behind the boulder. He took out his knife, holding it out in front of him as he approached the dragon. It opened an eye, staring at him as continued forward. He stopped an arm’s length away, staring back at it.

“I’m going to kill you. I’ll take your heart and bring it to my father. I’m a viking,” Keith said, leaning close to the dragon’s face. “I’m a viking!” He brought the blade above his head, aiming for the dragon’s heart. It looked at him for a moment longer before letting its head fall to the side. Keith raised the blade higher before letting it fall to lay on his head. He looked over the dragon’s wounds, falling to his knees. “I did this.”

It was a subconscious decision to cut the ropes, and Keith wasn’t fully aware of what he was doing until the first rope snapped. “I need to make this right,” he whispered to himself, cutting through another rope. He knew they’d dropped from the dragon’s legs, but he needed to get them all off of it. He cut through the last rope, and the dragon turned, trapping him against the boulder.

It stared him down, its breath hitting his face. It smelled like fish and sulfur, and burned the inside of his nose. Its foot pressed down towards him, his head trapped between two of its claws. Keith’s heart was racing, fear coursing through his body as his thoughts raced to find a way out. The dragon leaned closer, screeching in his face before darting back into the trees.

Keith sat there, his breathing heavy, as he looked at the path the dragon had taken. His thoughts were still racing, the only thing he could focus on being how close he’d been to death. His legs shook as he stood, and his vision blurred briefly. He caught himself on the boulder, sliding back to the ground. “A few minutes, then I can go,” he muttered to himself, closing his eyes. “Just a few minutes.”

-.-.-

Keith got back home late that night, well after the moon had risen. He could see fire light from under the crack of the door and eased it open slowly, careful to not make a sound. He found his father sitting in front of the fire, stoking it, embers flying into the space above it. Keith tiptoed carefully to the stairs, wincing as the floor creaked under him.

“Son,” his father said, not turning. Keith froze on the step he was on, looking over at him. “We need to talk.” He sighed, climbing down slowly. His father stood, walking towards him. He stood at least a head taller than Keith, and in the fire light, the shadows on his face made him look exhausted.

“I need to talk to you too,” Keith said, his voice quiet. His father nodded, and Keith looked to the ground, counting a beat before speaking. “I don’t want to fight dragons.” His father as silent, and he glanced up at him. His face was expressionless, like he was trying to process what he’d heard. Keith raised his hands defensively. “I mean, we have so many dragon-killing vikings, but there’s a lack of bread-making vikings. Or I can help Coran with the weapons,” he said, hoping to patch up any damage that he’d made.

His father was silent for another moment before he shook his head, letting a deep bellowed laugh. Keith laughed hesitantly with him, trying to figure out why he was laughing. “Of course you want to kill dragons, you made that perfectly clear last night,” his father said, wiping a tear from his eye. Keith’s shoulders dropped, and he slowly shook his head. “You’ll begin dragon training in the morning, and you’ll be needing this.”

He reached back, picking up an axe and dropping it into Keith’s arms. The sudden weight dragged him down, and he nearly dropped it. Keith stumbled, resituating it in his arms to get a better hold of it. He frowned more, his distaste for axes showing through. Axes were lopsided and weighty, making them hard to handle. It’s why he preferred swords - they were lightweight and balanced, easier to swing and control. He mentally shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

“I don’t want to fight dragons,” Keith repeated, hoping to get through to him. His father crossed his arms and shook his head. “Okay, let me rephrase. I can’t kill dragons,” he said, trying again. His father’s eyes narrowed, and Keith shrunk a little under his gaze. It was the same look he’d gotten as a child whenever he’d bring up not wanting to kill dragons. The same look he’d gotten whenever he said he wanted to be like his mom.

“You will kill dragons,” he said matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument. He turned his back on Keith, grabbing his helmet and a bag. “I’m taking a raiding group on one last search for the dragon’s nest. While I’m gone,” he turned back to Keith, “you’ll be with Coran and the others and learn to kill dragons.” His father leaned forward, levelling his face with Keith’s. “Do we have a deal?”

Keith knew better than to try to argue his point. He sighed, nodding. “Deal.” There was no conviction in his voice, no fight. Just exhaustion and acceptance. His father nodded, walking to the door and leaving without another word. Keith watched as he left, the weight of the axe feeling heavier the longer he stood there. “What am I going to do?”

-.-.-

Of course the day started overcast and dreary. The sun barely made it through the clouds, and everything was drenched in grey light. It was dull, lifeless, much how Keith felt. His stomach was in knots and his steps were slow and heavy. His mind kept flashing back to the look on his father’s face. It made him feel sick.

The arena loomed over him - grey stone walls and chains stretching over a metal cage. The smell of salt water was heavy, and Keith could hear the waves hitting the cliff below. It had an ominous feeling to it, and he wondered how many dragons had been killed here. His stomach twisted, and he pushed those thoughts away.

The others were already there - Lance, Hunk, Allura, Pidge and Matt, and Coran. They stood outside the gate, looking into the arena. Keith held back, keeping his distance from them. These were the people he admired, the ones who were going to make great dragon killers. Him, well, no amount of training would help him. The face of the Kosmic Wing flashed in his mind and guilt twisted his stomach.

“Welcome to Dragon Training!” Coran yelled, flinging the gate open. The group walked forward, anticipation coming off of them in waves. Keith followed after them, gripping the axe tightly.

“No turning back,” Lance said, turning to get the full view of the arena. He paused when he saw Keith, and the others turned to look at him. “What are you doing here?” The annoyance was obvious, and the glare he sent him was chilling.

Coran walked towards them, wrapping an arm around Keith’s shoulder. “Now now, Ryou specifically wanted Keith here.” Keith winced at hearing his father’s name. It was bad enough that he had to be here, but watching the others bristle at the name made him feel so much worse. People only used his name for two things - justifying an order and justifying anything to do with Keith.

Lance rolled his eyes, pointing his axe at him. “Don’t get in my way and we won’t have a problem.” Keith nodded. Lance looked at him for a moment longer before turning back to the cages. He sighed a little, the knot in his stomach coiling tighter.

Coran gave his shoulder another squeeze before pushing towards the others, lining him up next to Hunk. Hunk glanced down at him and moved to the side a little, away from him. “Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you’ll learn to fight! The Deadly Nadder!” The door that Coran walked by shook. “The Hideous Zippleback!” Green smoke seeped through the wood. “The Monstrous Nightmare!” A red glow came through the cracks in the door. “The Terrible Terror!”  A violent shock hit the door.

He stopped outside a large set of doors, leaning against the lever next to it. “And finally, the Gronckle!” Coran pulled the lever down, opening the door. The dragon shot out of the doors, it’s small wings beating double time to keep it in the air. It ate a few rocks in the arena before turning its attention to the group.

“Whoa, whoa, wait! Aren’t you going to teach us first?” Allura yelled, rolling out of the way of the barrelling dragon. Coran laughed, climbing on top of the open doors. The Gronckle was slow in its turns, running into the far wall before heading back for the group.

“I believe in learning on the job. Today’s lesson is on survival. So, what’s the first thing you need?” The group scattered - Lance and Allura heading to the left, Keith and Hunk to the right, and Pidge and Matt ducking out of the way of the dragon.

“A doctor?” Hunk said, eyes tracking the dragon. Keith shook his head, his eyes catching on the rack of shields. He dropped his axe, making a beeline for the rack.

“A shield!” Keith shouted. He strapped one to his arm, running back to where his axe was. The Gronckle shot towards him and he dropped to the ground, using the shield to cover himself. The dragon’s tail hit the shield and the shockwave reverberated through him, sending spikes of pain through his arm. He hissed as he felt them, but pushed through the pain and stood, picking up the axe as he did.

The weight of the weapon threw him off balance, and he tumbled forward into Lance. Lance stumbled and glared at him before looking over his shoulder and pulling him to the side. A shot of molten rock flew past them, hitting Pidge and Matt’s shield. “Pidge, Matt, you’re out!” They huffed but hurried back to where Coran stood, watching the group.

Keith turned back to Lance, but he had already raced off to grab a shield of his own. “These shields are good for another thing: noise. Make lots of it, it throws off a dragon’s senses.” The remaining four of them surrounded the Gronckle slowly, banging their weapons against the metal of the shields. The dragon’s flight pattern grew erratic and it swayed side to side as it tried to avoid the sound. “All dragons have a limited shot number. How many does a Gronckle have?”

“Five? No, six!” Allura said, pausing in her noise-making. The Gronckle got a moment of clarity and shot another fireball at her, hitting her shield. Allura yelped, quickly dropping the destroyed and burning shield.

“Allura, you’re out!” Coran yelled from his perch. Keith and Hunk filled in the missing space, trying to keep the Gronckle dazed and confused. But the moment of clarity and the chance at a shot had given it enough time to fly high enough that the sound didn’t affect it as much. It shot up and around them, keeping high and shooting a fireball at them. It hit Hunk’s shield, all but destroying it as burned wood fell to the ground. “You’re out too Hunk!”

Keith backed up, bumping into Lance again. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Lance’s eyes on the dragon. “So I guess it’s just you and me.” Lance looked down at him before shaking his head, pushing off him.

“No, just you,” he said, running off as a fireball shot towards him. Keith raised his shield and the fireball nicked the edge, sending it flying off his arm and rolling across the arena. He chased after it, feeling the heat of another shot flying over his head.

He grabbed the shield just as the Gronckle came barrelling towards him, its final shot ready. Keith backed up, his back hitting the wall behind him and he raised his shield. “Keith!” Coran jumped off the door and sprinted forward in time to redirect the dragon’s shot to the wall above him. Soot fell as he hauled the dragon back into its cage. “And that’s six.”  
  
Coran locked the doors, turning back to Keith. He got up close to his face, his eyes never leaving Keith’s. “Remember a dragon will always,  _ always _ , go for the kill.” He hefted him to his feet and turned back to the group, herding them out of the arena. Keith looked back at the wall, super heated rock glowing orange around a scorched spot, smoke slowly rising away from it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith flipped through pages in rapid succession. “Scauldron, sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous. Changewing. Even newly hatched dragon can spray acid. Kill on sight.” Each page he passed seem to move more than the previous, the dragons flying across the pages and killing vikings.
> 
> “Gronckle, Zippleback, the Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. Burns it victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight.” He flipped through more pages and stopped on the Kosmic Wing page.
> 
> There was no pictures, only a few words written on the bottom. Keith’s voice grew quieter as he spoke. “Kosmic Wing. Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The offspring of the stars and darkness itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance is the hide and pray it does not find you.” Keith pulled out his notebook, dropping it onto the page. It opened to his drawing of the dragon. He gulped, looking down in front of him. “Hide and pray it does not find you,” he repeated quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm finally back with chapter two! I finally got the time and motivation to write this, and I'm hoping to get chapters out every two weeks or so. Anyway! If you've seen the films, you know that this procession of scenes is the turning point for Hiccup, and in the case of this fic, Keith! I hope you enjoy!

“So why didn’t you?” Keith said, picking up the cut bola, the weighted ball rolling slightly in his hand. His eyes tracked the scratch marks in the ground - deep scars marring the earth from the scrambling of the Kosmic Wing. He looked behind him at the broken branches and overturned rocks. He winced slightly as he looked at the boulder behind him, remembering how close he’d been from dying. “Why didn’t you kill me that day?”

Keith stood, walking forward in the direction the dragon had flown off to. There was no indication that it had even been in this part of the forest. Everything looked normal. Well, as normal as a forest can look. None of the branches were broken or scratched, none of the plants ripped or charred. Nothing out of place.

He continued deeper into the forest, finding a path that led between rocks to a drop off, a cove. Below, large stone walls surrounded a small lake, tree roots growing over the stone and down the walls. Ivy and moss covered portions of the wall, and open ground surrounded the lake.

Keith sighed, looking away from the cove. “Well this was stupid,” he muttered turning his gaze to the ground. A couple deep purple scales glistened, the only indication that the dragon had ever been nearby. He crouched down and picked one up. It was larger than he’d expected, nearly the size of his hand, and almost a perfect circle. It was firm, rigid, and rough. He brought it closer, and fell back as a screech moved in front of him, up the side of the cove.

A flash of blue and purple sped past him, scales glittering in the sun. It streaked past him, its claws scratching against the stone, trying to gain purchase. Bits of stone fell as the dragon struggled to climb before it fell back towards the ground. Its wings flared out, catching the wind and helping it glide to the ground. Keith climbed towards the edge of the path, watching the dragon.

It let out a frustrated noise and flapped its wings a few times, walking towards the lake. A fish jumped out and it snapped at it, just barely missing it. The dragon’s tail twitched behind it, and it moved to a shadier area of the cove, curling around itself. A few birds flew by and the dragon’s eyes tracked their movements. The birds flew towards where Keith was hiding, and he ducked down, behind a boulder, before the dragon could see him.

The dragon watched the birds fly out of the cove, a dejected noise coming from it, and it shot a flair at the ground. It walked over to the scorched ground, curling around itself. Keith crept closer to the edge of the cliff, taking out his notebook and pencil. He sketched the dragon, marking down every detail he could. Another bird flew overhead and the dragon tried to take off, only to fall back to the ground.

“Why don’t you just fly away?” Keith said, watching the dragon’s frustrated movements. It went back to the scorched ground, resuming it’s curled pose. Keith gave the dragon another once over, and saw that it’s tail was missing a fin. He rubbed out the fin in his drawing, making it a match to the dragon. The longer he looked at his drawing, the more his guilt ate at him, and his arms fell to his side.

His pencil fell from his hand and rolled down the cliff, landing in the cove and hitting a rock. The sound echoed throughout the area and the dragon lifted it’s head. It turned to the sound and it’s eyes traveled up towards him. Large sapphire eyes stared at him, spots flickering in the iris to match the night sky.

Keith sat there, hand outstretched, as the dragon looked back. It was in a defensive stance, growling lowly. He sat back, pulling his hand back towards him, and the dragon’s demeanor shifted from defensive to curious. It looked fascinated with him. Another bird flew over head and the dragon narrowed its eyes, looking away quickly. Keith let out a breath of relief, slowly retreating into the forest behind him.

-.-.-

The dragon watched the birds fly out of the cove, a dejected noise coming from it, and it shot a flair at the ground. It walked over to the scorched ground, curling around itself. Keith crept closer to the edge of the cliff, taking out his notebook and pencil. He sketched the dragon, marking down every detail he could. Another bid flew overhead and the dragon tried to take off, only to fall back to the ground. 

“Why don’t you just fly away?” Keith said, watching the dragon’s frustrated movements. It went back to the scorched ground, resuming it’s curled pose. Keith gave the dragon another once over, and saw that its tail was missing a fin. He rubbed out the fin in his drawing, making it a match to the dragon. The longer he looked at his drawing, the more his guilt ate at him, and his arms fell to his side.

His pencil fell from his hand and rolled down the cliff, landing in the cove and hitting a rock. The sound echoed throughout the area and the dragon lifted it’s head. It turned to the sound and it’s eyes traveled up towards him. Large sapphire eyes stared at him, spots flickering in the riris to match the night sky.

Keith sat there, hand outstretched, as the dragon looked back. I was in a defensive stance, growling lowly. He sat back, pulling his hand back towards him, and the dragon’s demeanor shifted from defensive to curious. It looked fascinated with him. Another bird flew over head and the dragon narrowed its eyes, looking away quickly. Keith let out a breath of relief, slowly retreating into the forest behind him.

-.-.-

Keith snuck into the meade hall that night, the storm drenching him to the bone. The others were already crowded around a table near the fire, eating mutton and laughing. “Alright, where did Lance go wrong today?” Coran said, his voice echoing through the cavernous room.

“I mistimed my somersault and it led to a sloppy recovery,” Lance said. Keith walked past the table and the others watched him, moving to exclude him from the group. He moved further down and sat at an empty table next to them. Lance sent him a glare before turning back to his food.

“No, no, you did great out there!” Allura said, leaning towards him. Lance rolled his eyes, moving away from her.

“He’s right. With dragon training, you  _ have _ to be hard on yourself. It’s the only way to survive,” Coran said, a flash of lightning shooting past the window. “Where did Keith go wrong today?”

Pidge and Matt snickered, shoving at each other. “He showed up,” Matt said.

“He didn’t get eaten?” Pidge added.

“He’s never where he’s supposed to be,” Lance said pointedly. Keith shrunk away from the group, his shoulders falling.

“Thank you Lance,” Coran said. “You need to live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual.” He dropped a large book on the table, a dull thud resounding through the hall. “This book holds everything we know about every dragon we know of.”

Keith peeked over, eyeing the cover. The book was leather bound, old and discoloured pages poking out from between the covers. A drawing of a Monstrous Nightmare curled around itself was engraved on the front. Generations of vikings had read that book, from the most feeble of vikings to those that would become the greatest dragons killers.

A loud clap of thunder shook through the hall and everyone jumped. Coran sighed and stood, eyeing the door. “No attacks tonight. Study up.”

“Wait, you mean read? While we’re still alive?” Matt and Pidge said in unison, looking at the book in disgust. Keith chuckled, earning a dirty look from the two. They pushed the book down towards Allura, who pushed it away.

“Why read words when you can just kill the things the words tell you about?” she said. Keith rolled his eyes.

“I’ve read this like seven times. There’s this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And there’s this other one that buries itself for like a week-” Hunk started, getting cut off by Pidge.

“See, there was a chance I was going to read this, but now…” they trailed off, the ending implied. Hunk kept going, undeterred by their comment.

“There’s this other one that has these spines that look like trees,” he said, his voice filled with excitement. Pidge and Matt rolled their eyes, walking towards the door. Allura followed after them, Hunk trailing behind, talking animatedly about the different kinds of dragons.

Keith walked over to the table, awkwardly leaning on it. “So I guess we’ll share?”

Lance stood, pushing the book towards him. “Read it.” He walked out after the other teens.

“All mine then. Wow, okay. So, I’ll see you-” He was cut off by the slam of the door. “Tomorrow.” Keith sighed, taking Lance’s seat. He pulled the two candles on the table closer to him, illuminating the pages so he could read them.

Keith flipped open the book, a small puff of dust coming from it. “Dragon classifications. Strike Class, Fear Class, Mystery Class,” he muttered as he scanned the page. He flipped a few pages forward. A picture of a large mouthed dragon with two sets of wings and a thin, whip like tail looked back at him.

“Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.” Keith looked to the next page, the images swimming off the page.

Soundwaves came from the dragon, crashing over vikings and their ships. Keith shook his head, turning to the next page. The dragon had long wings that spanned the length of its body. It had claws on both edges of its wings, and it had a long, thing head.

“Timberjack. This gigantic creature had razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown tree. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.” The same thing happened with this dragon. Keith could see the dragon moving away from a viking that had been sliced in half, blood coming from his dismembered chest.

Keith flipped through pages in rapid succession. “Scauldron, sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous. Changewing. Even newly hatched dragon can spray acid. Kill on sight.” Each page he passed seem to move more than the previous, the dragons flying across the pages and killing vikings.

“Gronckle, Zippleback, the Skrill, Boneknapper, Whispering Death. Burns it victims, chokes its victims, turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight.” He flipped through more pages and stopped on the Kosmic Wing page.

There was no pictures, only a few words written on the bottom. Keith’s voice grew quieter as he spoke. “Kosmic Wing. Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The offspring of the stars and darkness itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance is the hide and pray it does not find you.” Keith pulled out his notebook, dropping it onto the page. It opened to his drawing of the dragon. He gulped, looking down in front of him. “Hide and pray it does not find you,” he repeated quietly.

-.-.-

The arena was filled with a maze of wooden walls. Keith’s instincts were on alert. He gripped his axe tightly, readjusting his shield. “You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Kosmic Wings. There wouldn’t happen to be another book maybe? Or a Kosmic Wing pamphlet?” Keith asked, looking up at Coran.

With his guard dropped, the Deadly Nadder had gotten a chance to sneak up on him. A fireball shot towards him, hitting his axe and blasting the blade off of it. Keith ducked down, and the fire hit the ball behind him, leaving a scorch mark. He dropped the broken handle, running in the opposite direction.

“Focus Keith! You’re not even trying!” Coran shouted. Keith turned to look at him, and a row of spines shot towards him, he ducked around a wall, watching them imbed themselves in the wall where he’d been before. The Nadder jumped across the tops of walls, chasing after him. “Today is all about attack! Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter!”

Keith rounded another corner, running in Hunk. Hunk stumbled back, and both boys run down the straight away, another row of spines being shot at them. They imbedded themselves in Hunk’s raised shield. “I’m really beginning to question your teaching methods!”

“Look for its blind spot, every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!” Coran shouted somewhere behind them. Keith shook his head, turning down a branching path. He saw Matt and Pidge and ducked around a corner, peeking around as the Nadder came towards them.

The Nadder stopped in front of them, the siblings moving with its head, right in front but out of sight. “Ugh! Do you ever bathe?” Pidge asked, shoving Matt.

“If you don’t like it, then just get your own blind spot!” Matt said, shoving her back.

Pidge got in his face, knocking their helmets together. “How about I give you one?!” they yelled. Matt shoved them, pushing them out of the blind spot. The Nadder turned its head, eyeing them. Sparks flared out of the sides of its mouth, and Matt pulled Pidge with him as he ran around the corner that Keith was hiding. Searing heat shot past him, and he ducked down behind his shield to protect himself.

“Blind spot, yes.  _ Deaf _ spot, not so much,” Coran said. The Nadder followed after the siblings, leaving Keith unnoticed in his hiding spot. He peeked above his shield, watching the dragon’s figure recede. He stood, looking up at Coran.

“Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Kosmic Wing?” Keith asked, checking over his shoulder for any sign of the dragon.

Coran pinched the bridge of his nose, staring straight at him. “No on’es ever emt one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!!” he yelled.

“I know, I know, but hypothetically--”

“Keith! Get down!” Lance whispered yelled at him. Keith looked up at the top of the wooden walls, seeing the Nadder making its way back towards them. He crouched down, crawling over to where Lance and Allura were hiding.

Allura moved in front of them, shoving Keith as she did. She stopped in front of Lance, hefting the hammer he held above his head. “Watch out babe, I’ll take care of this.” She threw the hammer at the dragon, missing by a wide margin, but giving away their position. He shook his head, shoving past her as he took off.

“The  _ sun _ was in my eyes Lance! What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don’t have time right now!” Allura called, running after her.

Keith followed, keenly aware of how close the Nadder was to them. His focus, however, was still on the Kosmic Wing. “They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?” he asked, looking up at Coran as he passed him.

“Keith!!” Coran shouted, pointing behind him. Keith looked, seeing Lance on top of the walls, the Nadder following him. Every time the dragon jumped, the wall fell behind it like dominoes. The chain reaction soon caught up to Lance, and he leapt towards the ground, falling on top of Keith.

He axe embedded itself into Keith’s shield, and everytime he yanked it, Keith’s whole body would be pulled by the straps of the shield. Pidge and Matt looked on from afar, making faces. “Love on the battlefield! He could do  _ sooooo _ much better!”

Keith could tell their words were making things worse, as Lance’s movements became more aggressive. The Nadder was closing in on them and Lance was dead set on yanking his axe out of Keith’s shield. “Just… let me… why don’t you…” Keith said between each pull. He reached over with his free hand and loosened the straps of the shield enough for the shield to be pulled off his arm.

The Nadder got them as Lance pulled the shield free. He swung behind him, smashing the wood against the dragon’s face. It stumbled backwards and that gave Coran enough time to jump down and pull the dragon away from them, shoving it into its cage. “Nice job Lance.”

Lance stood, dusting himself off. He planted a foot on Keith’s chest, knocking the breath out of him. He ducked down close to his face. “Is this some kind of joke to you?! Our parents’ war is about to become outs!” Lance jabbed a finger into Keith’s already pinned chest. “Figure out which side you’re on.”

He stepped off him, tossing aside the broken remnants of his shield. Keith sat up, and Lance walked out of the arena, the rest of the teens following after him. Coran gave him a pitiful look before following after them, leaving him in the wreckage of the training arena. Keith sighed, dropping back to his back. He could hear the unhappy noises from the dragons in their cages, and his stomach twisted.

“Figure out which side I’m on…” he mumbled to himself.

-.-.-

Keith followed the path down to the cove, following the slowly healing wreckage from the dragon. He peered through the rocks he’d first seen the dragon from, looking for signs of it waiting for him. He didn’t see the dragon, but his nerves were on high alert. He crept down the steep cliffside, readjusting the shield on his arm. He used to keep him upright, his other hand preoccupied with holding a fish.

He got to the end of the path, two boulders standing on either side. Keith peeked through them, ready to bolt back up the cliff. It was quiet, the only sound that of the birds chirping from the surrounding trees. He threw the fish, watching is slide across the ground. After a moment of silence, a moment of anxious waiting, he poked his head out again. The dragon was still nowhere in sight.

Lifting his shield, he took a step forward. The shield caught on the boulders, sticking itself between them. Keith pushed and pulled, but the shield was firmly in place. He sighed, ducking under it, and walked towards the fish. He picked it up, making his way slowly into the cove.

The pond was to his right, the walls looming over him. It made him feel small, trapped, and a pang of guilt washed over him. “This must be how he feels,” Keith whispered to himself. He walked further into the cove, and a snort came from behind him. He spun around, seeing the Kosmic Wing crouched low against the rocks it sat on.

Shadows surrounded it, the only indication that there was any dragon there being the star like flashes in its eyes and the iridescent colours flickering through its scales. The rest of its body was a dark blue, camouflaging it in the darkness. The dragon jumped down, staying low to the ground, and Keith stumbled backwards, clutching the fish to his chest.

The dragon stopped a few paces away from him, eyes narrowed as it watched him. Keith’s hand shook slightly as he pushed his fear to the wayside, offering the fish to it. The shift in his arm knocked his vest against his body, light flashing off his dagger as it was exposed briefly to the sun. The dragon hissed, slinking back.

Keith followed its gaze to his waist, pulling his vest away from his body, fully exposing the dagger. The dragon hissed again, slinking further back. He reached for the dagger, pausing when the dragon growled. He pulled his hand away, watching the dragon become less defensive. It crept closer, keeping its eyes on the dagger.

He moved his hand slowly back towards the blade, moving even when the dragon growled, and pulled it from his waistband. The dragon growled loudly, it claws digging into the ground. Keith moved the blade away from him, dropping it and catching it with his foot, and kicked it away. It landed in the pond, the soft  _ ploop _ the only indication of its landing. The dragon looked after it, staring at the pond for a moment, before turning its attention back to him.

It demeanor shifted from defensive to curious. It sat up, eyes widening and head cocking to the side. Keith offered it the fish again, and the dragon crept slowly closer. It stopped an arm’s length away. This close, Keith could see the stripes on its skin looking dull, a contrast to how it had looked the night he’d shot it down.

“Huh. I could’ve sworn you--” Keith started. The dragon’s skin lit up and it lunged forward, snatching the fish from him. Keith yanked his hand back, watching the dragon eat. The stripes blinked out as it finished eating, and it sat on its hind legs. “--had stars…”

The dragon started towards him, and Keith stumbled back, falling to the ground. “No, no, I don’t have any more,” he said. It continued forward, pushing Keith back until his back hit a boulder. The Kosmic Wing loomed over him, much like the first time they had met, and fear flooded Keith’s system.

The dragon stared down at him, neither anger nor malice in its eyes. Instead, its throat started moving, and a moment later, a piece of the fish landed in Keith’s lap. The smell was horrendous, and it made Keith’s eyes water. The dragon sat back, looking at him expectantly.

Keith looked at it, the dragon nodding its head, its eyes flickering between the fish and his eyes. Something clicked between them and he grimaced, looking down at the fish. “Gods, do I have to?” he said to himself. The dragon made a noise, and he jerked his head up. It tilted its head, licking its lips. He looked at the dragon. “Can you understand me?”

The dragon didn’t do anything, didn’t make a sound, but something about the way it was looking at him made him think that maybe he wasn’t entirely crazy for thinking so. Its eyes flicked down to the fish, and Keith sighed, picking it up. He took a bite, retching as soon as he did.

He turned away, smacking a fist against his chest, and chewed the fish. It took him a few tries, but he got it down. His stomach immediately disagreed with him, but he looked up at the dragon, giving it a crooked smile. Its lips twitched up into its own version of a smile, and Keith looked at it in awe.

Keith sat up, dropping the fish to the ground. He looked at the dragon in amazement, reaching a hand towards it. The dragon looked at his hand and hissed, turning away and attempting to fly off. It crashed to the ground a few yards away, scorching the ground, before curling up around itself.

It covered its face with its tail, and Keith walked over, sitting next to it. He looked at it, seeing details he hadn’t been able to see his first visit to the cove. There were swirls of pink through the dragon’s skin, mimicking the way the night sky looked some nights, when he was deep in the forest. Stripes littered its skin, branching out everywhere. Without the lights flaring over its body, the dragon was a deep blue colour, purple mixing around its wings and legs.

His eyes traveled to its tail, and guilt washed over him. Without thinking, Keith reached forward, towards the missing fin. The dragon moved its tail quickly, and Keith stood, walking away towards the pond. He looked back, watching the dragon turn its back to him, and he sighed, making his way to the other side of the pond.

-.-.-

The shadows grew longer as the sun started to set. The far side of the cove darkened as shadows extended over it. Keith sat on a rock, his head resting on his hand. He had a stick in hand, and was drawing aimlessly in the sand. His mind wandered to the dragon sleeping behind him, and he blinked, seeing the beginnings of its head.

He continued with his drawing, and after a while, a puff of air ruffled his hair. He looked back and saw the dragon staring over his shoulder at the unfinished drawing. Keith sat up a little straighter, continuing to draw the dragon. A moment later, the dragon walked off, and Keith heard a crash behind him.

He turned and saw the dragon with a tree in its mouth, dragging it behind it as it walked this way and that. Large lines followed behind it, curling over themselves and twisting around him. The dragon walked around the rock where he sat, the branches hitting his head. Keith rubbed at where they hit, watching the dragon. It kept moving, sometimes looking up at him. It soon dropped the tree and sat back outside of its drawing.

Keith stood, looking around him. It was a haphazard mess of lines and curves. He took a few steps forward, his foot sinking into one of the lines. The dragon growled at him and he picked up his foot. It perked up again, making a purring sound. He let his foot sink into the line a few times, watching as the dragon growled and then purred. He stepped over the line, watching the dragon’s eyes twinkle.

He followed the lines, stepping in the spaces and twisting around to make sure he didn’t step on them. One step after another, following an invisible maze. Stepping in spaces and avoiding lines. Keith took one final step, his back bumping into the Kosmic Wing. It snorted, ruffling his hair again, and he slowly turned around to look at it, taking a few steps back.

The dragon looked at him knowingly, as though it knew something he didn’t. Keith slowly reached out a hand, and the dragon, moved its head away. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He reached his hand out, ducking his head down and to the side.

Time seemed to stretch, moving in slow motion. The sounds in the cove faded away. It felt like an eternity had passed before anything happened. He felt rough scales against his hand, warm air blowing over his sleeve. Keith opened his eyes, looking up at the dragon. The dragon had its eyes closed, and after a second of contact, it opened them.

It snorted, its pupils growing smaller before it took off for the other side of the pond. Keith watched on in amazement, looking down at his hand. “I just… touched a dragon,” he whispered. He could still feel the roughness of its scales on his skin. There was something about that moment that Keith couldn’t place, couldn’t figure out. He looked at the dragon, watching it curl around itself. He sighed, and walked to the cove wall, climbing his way out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith tuned out the siblings, his thoughts stuck on what Coran said. It’s the wings and tails… A downed dragon is a dead dragon. That thought swirled over and over in his head, the image of the Kosmic Wing’s tail, the missing fin, the way it couldn’t fly. It flashed in his mind over and over, guilt building in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, my update plan really didn't come about like I wanted it to. I got really busy with various things. But! I'm back to writing this! This chapter was hard to write because of the way the scenes are the movie, but that challenge was a good thing. So far we've gotten through "See You Tomorrow", which means that we'll be getting "Test Drive" in the next chapter, and I'm super excited for it. It also means we're about halfway through the first movie, so we've got another maybe three chapters before we move on to movie two. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

“There we were, walking through the trees, when the beastie lunged out and attacked my grandpapa. It took hold of his hand, and with one swift twist, it took it clean off. The look on its face was clear: it was hungry and wanted more of him. We managed to escape before it could get another bite, but it wasn’t more than a month before it came back, taking his leg this time.” Coran stoked the fire, looking at them through the sparks that flew up.

The group was quiet, and Keith saw the smirk that slowly formed on Coran’s lips. He glanced around at the rest of the teens, seeing various expressions. Hunk was the first to break the silence.

“Wasn’t it weird to think that his hand was inside a dragon?” Hunk asked, barreling through with his thoughts. “If he could still control his hand, even though it wasn’t attached, he could’ve killed the dragon from the inside by, I don’t know, crushing his heart, or something else.” Keith could hear the excitement in his voice, the energy leaking into the way he moved.

“Gods, I’m so angry right now!” Allura shouted, kicking the wall of the fire pit. She turned towards Coran, conviction in her eyes. “I swear I’ll avenge your grandpapa’s hand and foot. I’ll tear off the legs of every dragon I see, with my bare hands!”

Coran pulled the fire stoker from the pit, the tip burning bright orange. “Don’t go for the legs, it's the wings and tails you really want.” His eyes scanned the group. “If it can’t fly, it can’t get away.” His gaze fell on Keith. “A downed dragon is a dead dragon.” It felt as though he were speaking directly to him, and Keith shivered.

No one spoke, letting his words sink in. Coran stood, stoking the fire once more. “Well, I’m off to bed. You all should be too. Tomorrow we start training with the big beasties, slowly making our way to the Monstrous Nightmare. The question is, which of you will get the honour of killing it?”

“It’s gonna be me, it’s my destiny, see?” Matt stood, rolling his sleeve up and showing off a dark spot on his arm.

Hunk leaned forward, gasping. “No way, your mom let you get a tattoo?”

Matt laughed, puffing his chest out. “It’s not a tattoo, it’s a birthmark.”

Pidge shoved him over, causing him to tumble to the ground next to the fire pit. “I’ve been stuck with you since birth, and you’ve never had a birthmark. That’s never been there.”

“It has too. You’ve just never been on my left side to see it until now,” Matt said, pulling them down next to him.

Keith tuned out the siblings, his thoughts stuck on what Coran said.  _ It’s the wings and tails… A downed dragon is a dead dragon. _ That thought swirled over and over in his head, the image of the Kosmic Wing’s tail, the missing fin, the way it couldn’t fly. It flashed in his mind over and over, guilt building in his stomach.

He moved quickly but quietly, making sure to not draw attention to himself. He made his way quickly back to the village, periodically looking over his shoulder, watching to make sure someone wasn’t following him. In his head, he told himself to go home, to sleep away the guilt. But body moved on its own, taking him to the forge. Once there, he knew what he needed to do.

Keith pulled out his sketchbook, turning to the page that he’d sketched the dragon on. His eyes scanned the page, looking over details in the wings and body, travelling down to the tail. The smudged tail flap was like a sore on the page, disrupting the natural flow of the dragon. He took out his pencil, sketching a slightly larger version of the tail flap, guessing at dimensions.

He went around the forge, finding old, broken sword blades, and laying them on the fire pit, using the bellows to add air to the coals and get them red hot. Once heated, he hammered them down to thin rods, rounded to a ball shape on one end and a flat fin on the other with a hole in the center. They were dunked in cool water, the sizzle of the rapidly heating water sounding through the forge.

While the rods cooled, he found an old shield and took out the bolts, heating and shaping them to pins to attach to the rods. He took old leather and cut it roughly into the shape of the tail fin, adding in a head to keep the pieces from falling out before threading in the rods. They slipped in the fin, and Keith sewed lines next to them to keep them in place.

Once the rods were secured, he attached the rods to a main pole, attaching that to the rotating mechanism with the use of the pins. He sewed a leather cover over it, hoping to create a barrier between the metal and the dragon's tail, before attaching a belt to the end so he could attach it to the dragon’s tail.

He tested it a few times, making sure it opened and closed properly,  looking for defects in the design and making small adjustments to make the motion more fluid. It was late in the night when he finally felt satisfied with his work, the moon high in the sky, and he carefully made his way back home, hiding the tail under his bed.

-.-.-

He was up before the sun the next morning, making his way to the cove with the tail fin tucked under his arm, a bucket of various sea life on his back. He didn’t see any evidence that the dragon was in the cove aside from scratch marks on the walls and tracks in the dirt. He went down to the pond, eyes scanning the area.

“Kosmo, where are you?” he called, staggering a little on the uneven terrain. Kosmo, like cosmos, to march the stars the dragon used as camouflage while up in the night sky. “I brought breakfast.” He heard a rumble behind him, in the shadows of the cliff edge, and he turned, seeing the dragon watching him closely. Keith put the basket down, tipping it over with his foot. “We have salmon, some Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel.”

Kosmo sniffed around in the fish, growling the closer it got to the eel before reeling back in what Keith could only assume was anger. He took the eel, watching the dragon screech and keep its distance from it, and Keith threw it into the pond, away from Kosmo. “Yeah, I’m not a big fan of eel either.” The dragon eyed the fish for a moment longer before taking a few fish in its mouth, swallowing them whole.

Keith left Kosmo to his breakfast, creeping behind it. “Don’t mind me, I’ll just be back here, minding my own business.” He knelt down next to the tail, dropping the tail fin next to and trying to align the fin. Kosmo wasn’t much for staying still, and it took Keith a few tries until he was finally able to align the fin. He climbed on top of the tail to stabilize it, belting the fin to the tail.

He gave it a few pulls, making sure that it opened and closed while attached to the tail, leaning back as he examined it. “It’s not too bad, it still works, I might need to change the colour— whoa!!” Kosmo jerked forward, taking off. Keith held onto the tail for dear life, being flung up and down with the movement of Kosmo’s tail.

“Kosmo! No no no!” Keith saw the ground quickly approaching, and Kosmo started making sounds of distress. He looked over to the tail fins, seeing his prosthetic folded in on itself, unable to open. He let go of the tail with one hand, wrapping his other arm to stabilize himself, and open the fin with the other. “Oh gods, please!” The cliff face was approaching, and Keith turned back to the tail.

He was pushed into the tail as his knees grazed the ground, and just as quickly, the ground was receding. He turned the fin, causing Kosmo to turn as well, and they circled back into the cove, falling towards the pond. Keith looked at the water, seeing the darkened reflection of him and the dragon. His eyes focused on the tail, at the way that the fins matched.

Keith felt Kosmo move before he saw it move, the tail flexing underneath him, and he was soon thrown into the pond, no longer able to hold onto the tail. He closed his eyes, holding his breath as he crashed into the cold water. He heard Kosmo’s strangled cries, distorted through the water, and he swam to the surface, adrenaline still coursing through him. He saw Kosmo flapping his wings, having landed in the water, and droplets sprayed over him.

“Well, now we know it works,” Keith said. Kosmo looked over at him, his eyes bright from being able to fly again, before the dragon turned away, making noises of annoyance as it waded out of the pond. Keith made his way out, sitting on the other side of the pond, watching the dragon. “Now we know it works.”

-.-.-

“Today’s lesson is all about teamwork,” Coran said, climbing up the side of the arena. They’d been paired up into three teams -- Allura and Matt, Lance and Pidge, and Hunk and Keith. “A wet dragon head can’t light its fire.” Green smoke started to filter into the arena, separating the teams. “The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky when it comes to this.” Scales scratching against the ground filtered through the smoke, along with various growls and clicks. “One head breaths gas while the other lights it. Your job is to figure out which is which.”

Keith and Hunk circled their area, their backs to each other, giving them the best vantage point to look for the dragon. The gas was so thick they couldn’t see in front of them. “Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, by crushing its victims--”

“Will you please stop that?!” Keith said, an edge cutting through. This situation wasn’t ideal. They were only armed with buckets of water and their visibility was limited to the small space around them. If what Hunk was saying was true, if they got caught by the dragon, they were in serious trouble.

“If that dragon shows either of his faces, I’m gonna--” Keith turned his head towards Allura’s voice, tracking it to be to his left. That meant that they weren’t too far from her team. “There!” He heard Allura and Matt shout and water splashing to the ground. He didn’t know how far away they were, but the movement of the gas showed that they weren’t too far from them.

“Hey, it’s us you idiots!” There was Matt’s voice. Keith chuckled to himself. Pidge and Lance must’ve been the victims of their water.

“Your butts are getting bigger. You definitely look like a dragon in this fog.” Pidge’s voice was smug, as far from apologetic as it could get.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with a dragon-esque figure--” Keith heard the distinct sound of Allura falling to the ground. “Ow!” There was another  _ thwack _ followed by the sound of a bucket clattering to the ground. He guessed by the sound of Matt grumbling that Pidge had thrown their bucket at him.

“Whoa, hey!” The gas shifted in front of them, and he heard Matt screaming, his feet scrambling on the stone, trying to gain what sounded like traction. “Oh I”m hurt! I am very much hurt!” Matt came careening out of the gas in front of them, running for the wall.

“Chances of survival are slowly dwindling to single-digits,” Hunk said, fear creeping into his voice. Keith was on edge, looking everywhere he could to see movement. Matt’s exit had caused the gas the swirl, making it hard to discern what was movement and what was leftover spinning because of him. He turned to his right, seeing one of the heads come through the smoke. Hunk was quick to react, throwing the water onto it.

The dragon narrowed its eyes and opened its mouth, bright green gas flowing out between pointed teeth. “Oh. Wrong head.” The gas came spewing out in a tight stream, filling the space where Hunk had been just moments before. Keith watched Hunk take off screaming, and he turned back to the dragon, another head coming into view next it to, sparks coming out of its mouth.

“Keith! Throw your water!” Keith tossed the bucket up, but the dragon was just out of reach, the water crashing to the ground around him. The dragon’s head lunged forward, and he fell to the ground, the bucket falling to the side. “Keith! Get out of there!”

Keith locked eyes with the dragon, raising one hand and walking forward. The dragon started receding back into its cage, its heads shaking sporadically. “Get back! Back! That’s right, back into your cage!” The dragon crouched back against the wall, as far as it could get from Keith.

“Now think about what you’ve done.” Keith reached into his vest, pulling out an eel, similar to the one the one that had spooked Kosmo. He threw it into the cage and closed the gate, turning to the group. They stared at him, all in awe except for Lance. He looked furious, but also a little bit curious.

“Okay! So, are we done? But I’ve got some things I need to… Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Keith avoided looking at the group as he made his way out of the arena and he quickly made his way to the forge.

-.-.-

When morning came, he was up and out to the cove. He’d spent the night before making a saddle to put on Kosmo. His idea was that if Kosmo trusted him, then he could figure out a way that he could ride him, so that Kosmo could once again fly. It wasn’t the best saddle, but he could adjust it as he needed. It was a concept, a means to see if it was possible.

When he showed Kosmo the saddle, his eyes got big, almost playful looking, and he started running away from him. “Hey, Kosmo, come on!” Keith chased after him, saddle in hand. They spent a lot of the morning like this, playing chase, but eventually Keith was able to get the saddle strapped onto Kosmo. He was surprised that the dragon trusted him enough to stay still, but he was filled with a sense of pride to know that he’d gained that trust after everything that had happened.

After he was sure the saddle was firmly in place, he attached a rope to the tail fin, giving it a few test tugs to make sure it would move without tearing. When he was sure everything was working, he turned back to see Kosmo, the dragon’s curiosity clear in its eyes. “You ready to go for a ride?” Kosmo’s ears perked up and it shuffled its feet excitedly. Keith laughed a little, climbing on the saddle. “Alright, let’s see if this works.”

They started out flying over low, getting a feel for the coordination they needed to make turns, as well as for Keith to figure out what each position did. They were doing well, until Keith tugged on the rope a little too hard, causing Kosmo careening to the side and him to fall off into the water. “Okay, so, safety strap.”

That night he attached a loop to the side of the saddle and made a belt that had a piece of rope attached to it that hooked onto the saddle loop. A few test tugs told him that it was solid enough that he would still be attached it they went careening again.

The next day they take off on another test flight, this time going higher and out of the cove. Keith had tied the rope to his ankle to make it easier to maneuver and watch where they were going. Unfortunately, since they were still figuring out how this whole flying together thing would work, they ended up tumbling to the ground. Keith stumbled off of Kosmo’s back, and looked around at where they landed.

Tall green grass grew in this area. It had a slight mint smell to it, not unpleasant, but not overpowering. There was rustling behind him, and he turned his head, seeing Kosmo rolling around on its back in the grass. It made happy sounds, and looked relaxed as it squirmed. The closer Keith got, the more he heard what sounded like purring. He picked a handful. “Dragon nip, huh?” He put it in pocket, getting Kosmo up and flying back to the cove.

He brought the nip with him to training, watching as the Gronckle they were dealing with chased after everyone. It knocked over Matt and turned its attention to him, barreling towards him. Keith stood his ground and turned his head away, holding out his hand with the dragon nip in it. The Gronckle fell to the ground in front of him and started sniffing the nip, making similar sounds to those that Kosmo had made the day before.

Keith rubbed his hand on the Gronckle’s nose for a few seconds before making a curved arch, the Gronckle tracking his movements and falling to its side, completely transfixed by the nip. Coran was able to get the dragon back in its cage and Keith hid the nip in his vest as the rest of the group crowded around him.

They walked out of the arena, bombarding Keith with questions. “How’d you do that? That was seriously cool! I’ve never seen a Gronckle do that!” Keith stopped, weaving his way through the teens.

“I left my axe back in the ring. You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you.” He started running towards the arena, nearly knocking into Lance. Lance gave him an angry look and Keith gave him an embarrassed one before turning back to face the arena.

-.-.-

The sun had barely risen when Keith went to the cove. Every day seemed to be like this -- sunrise with Kosmo, afternoons at dragon training, evenings with the teens, and nights working on something to help him get Kosmo up and flying. This morning, Keith was giving Kosmo a good scratch down for all the hard work the dragon had done when he’d scratched a spot under his chin that put Kosmo to sleep.

He took this little trick with him to training that afternoon. Today was Deadly Nadder training, and if the maze was anything to go off of, he was not in a great spot. Lance threw his axe at the dragon as soon as it came out of the gate, the axe flying off to the side. Lance barreled to the left, leaving Keith in the path of the dragon. He dropped his mace, instead keeping still.

The dragon stopped and sniffed him, and Keith guessed the leftover scent of Kosmo was still on his clothes. Both him and the dragon turned their attention to Lance as he yelled, coming at them with his axe held high. Keith reached forward while the Nadder was distracted, scratching along its neck and down to its chin, putting it to sleep just before Lance got there. Lance looked confused, but Keith smiled sheepishly, turning and making his way out of the arena as Coran pulled the dragon to its cage.

That evening he was late for dinner, having spent far too much time coming up with redesigns for Kosmo’s tail. He bypassed the teens table, choosing to sit by himself, but was quickly overrun by teens and Vikings alike. He was bombarded with questions and compliments. “I, uh, have to go clean my dad’s axe. See you guys tomorrow.” Keith pushed through the crowd, speed walking out of the great hall, avoiding the angry gaze of Lance.

The next morning Keith had planned on making adjustments to the saddle, but instead got distracted every time that Kosmo tried to chase the light reflecting off his hammer. He turned it into a game, sitting behind a rock in full view of the sun, watching Kosmo chase after the small dot of light as though it were a cat.

This trick came in handy that afternoon. “Meet the terrible terror,” Coran said, lifting the bar locking the cage. Instead of coming out the large doors, the small green dragon came out a small swinging door. It wasn’t too intimidating looking, its long tongue licking its eye.

“Ha, that’s like the size of my--” Matt didn’t get to finish his thought as the dragon launched itself at him, biting his nose and knocking him to the ground. Everyone scattered, watching Matt from a distance. Keith used the light trick to get the dragon off of him as Matt scrambled to his feet, running away from the dragon. “Oh, I’m hurt! I am very much hurt!”

Keith chuckled to himself, keeping his shield tilted towards the light. He watched the dragon criss cross across the ground and into its cage. He was filled with a sense of pride at having gotten it back into its cage without harming it. “He’s better than you ever were,” Matt said. Keith turned towards the teens, seeing Lance glaring at Matt before turning his gaze to him.

Keith shrunk away, guilt washing away the pride. He knew what excelling in his class meant. Everyone knew. But he also knew that if he didn’t, then all the dragons would get hurt. That thought bothered him more than anything. He’d already injured one, and his village had killed thousands of them. He needed to be the one to put an end to the killing.

-.-.-

That afternoon he’d been unlucky. On his way to the cove, he’d found Lance practicing his axe throwing, the solid thunk of blade in tree sounding through the forest. He kept to the shadows, keeping an eye on him as he moved. He hadn’t expected him to turn around when he did.

Keith stood still, eyes locked on Lance, the axe poised and ready to be thrown. They stared at each other for a few seconds longer before ran off towards a group of boulders. He could hear Lance running after him, the cracking of twigs and rustling of leaves in his wake. He rounded the boulders, disappearing into the foliage behind it. He could see Lance scanning the area for him, but he soon gave up.

Keith snuck his way down to the cove, listening closely for footsteps behind him. He finally relaxed when he got to the edge. Kosmo was sitting on a boulder near the pond, letting the sun soak into its scales. Keith took a moment to admire the dragon. Its scales glittered all shades of purple and blue, once again reminding him of the night sky. A pang of guilt went through him, and he looked away, picking his way down the cliffside.

He set his back down near the cliff face, walking towards Kosmo. The dragon was already up, looking at him with a cocked head and curious eyes. Keith smiled, pushing away the guilt he felt. Even after everything, the dragon trusted him, and that’s all that mattered.

“So, Kosmo, our flying isn’t bad, but we really need to just work on tail positions,” Keith said, sitting against the boulder below the dragon. Kosmo grumbled, its wing falling over Keith. He chuckled, pushing it up. “Come on, if we don’t get this figured out, how will we ever get you flying again.”

Kosmo lifted the wing slowly, eyeing Keith. He quirked an eyebrow, and Kosmo made a sighing sound, standing a stretching. Its scales clattered against each other, echoing throughout the cove. It was a sound that Keith was used to, almost calming his thoughts. Kosmo jumped off the boulder, gliding to the ground and walking in front of Keith.

“Actually, I think we’ll practice somewhere else today.” Keith attached the saddle to Kosmo, strapping himself in, and they took off out of the cove. Without the proper tail positions, they couldn’t go far. They glided towards the ocean edge, the cliff ending in a sheer dropoff. Keith maneuvered them towards a boulder that sat facing the sunset. Kosmo set down, shaking its head, and Keith slid off its back. It was warmer here, pleasant, and Keith smiled.

He attached a rope to the front of Kosmo’s harness, tying it to the rocks that jutted up. Giving it a few test tugs, it got his approval, and he turned back to Kosmo. “Alright. We’ll start easy and work our way up. That sound good?” Kosmo shot a smoke ring at him,  stamping anxiously. Keith shook his head, getting back in the saddle.

He first tested their turning position. It was one he was used to, seeing as the cove only had so much space. He moved onto the gliding position, letting Kosmo get a little air before closing the fin. Keith adjusted further, to what felt like would be a true flying position. Kosmo’s instincts kicked in and he spread his wings wide, lifting them further into the air. A strong wind caught them, pushing them back hard, and the rope snapped, sending them flying backwards.

Kosmo twisted, pulling Keith into its stomach. Keith braced himself for the landing, and had the wind knocked out of him. Kosmo unfurled its wings, and Keith rolled out, the safety hook on his harness bending out of shape. No amount of tugging could get it unattached. “Oh gods, this can’t be happening.” Kosmo peered at him, trying to turn towards him, and pulled Keith down to the ground. “I guess it is.”

-.-.-

He waited for nightfall before bringing Kosmo to the village. They had to get to the forge to have the right tools to get the hook unbent, but even at night it was dangerous. If anyone saw Kosmo, they kill him on the spot. If anyone saw him  _ with _ Kosmo, well, he’d be exiled to say the least.

They snuck through shadows, Keith pushing Kosmo behind building anytime a Viking would walk by. It took a while to get there, but they successfully made it without being seen. Kosmo knocked against some hanging axes, and they both froze, knowing that the sound would be enough to attract attention. He listened for footsteps, but didn’t hear any. He looked at the wall of tools, taking a pair of pliers and struggled to unbend the hook.

He fell backwards as the hook finally released, still attached to Kosmo, but now easily removable. The pliers went flying into the shutters, and he cursed his luck. Kosmo’s ears perked up and he heard footsteps. “Keith, is that you?” Lance’s voice cut through the silence, and the shutters rattled.

“Uh, yeah, it’s me. One second!” Keith flung himself through the shutters, closing them quickly behind him. “Lance, hey! What’re- what’re you doing here?” Keith let out a nervous laugh, hoping it didn’t come across suspicious. Lance narrowed his eyes, looking him up and down.

“Normally I don’t care what people do, you but? You’re acting weird. Or I guess,  _ weirder _ .” Lance leaned over into his space, looking him dead in the eyes. Keith’s heart rate picked up a little, and he let out another nervous laugh. “What are you up to?”

“Me? Nothing! I’m not up to anything! Absolutely noth--” Keith didn’t get to finish his thought. He was pulled through the shutters, leaving Lance where he was. Kosmo looked nervous, almost scared. Its eyes kept shifting towards the back entrance. The shutters shook from what he guessed was Lance trying to open them, and Keith jumped into the saddle. “Come on bud.”

Kosmo took off as soon as the shutters opened, flying into the night, hidden by the shadows. Keith turned back to look at the forge, seeing Lance running out the back, trying to find him. He’d apologize tomorrow, not that he really had a choice, and focused on getting them back to the cove.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith didn’t make it back to Marmora until late that night. He flew Kosmo back to the cove, giving the final fish as a parting gift before climbing back to the village. He had so much on his mind, so he went to the workshop. There were several plans for upgrades to the tail fin design that he’d been toying with, and several more of Kosmo and the different dragons in the arena. He sighed, laying his head against the desk, and started flicking his pencil up the slope, watching it fall back towards him, and doing it all over again.
> 
> He turned his head to follow the angle of the pencil, and jumped. “Dad! What… what are you doing here? Gobber’s not here,” he said, standing and shuffling his papers behind him, hoping his father hadn’t seen what they were. It’s bad enough he thinks I’m a disgrace to dragon killers. He doesn’t need to know about this. Keith thought, watching him come in.
> 
> “I know. I came here looking for you.” There was something in his voice that put Keith on guard. 
> 
> “You did?”
> 
> “You’ve been keeping secrets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Birthday update! I wanted to get something up today because I really do love this fic and it’s like a little birthday gift to myself. This chapter is probably one of my favourites so far because the Test Drive scene is in it and that is my second favourite scene in the movie, behind Forbidden Friendship. I cut it off there because I had a hard time figuring out the best place to split the scene, but having the next chapter open with Romantic Flight make sense to me. We’re also probably getting the last dragon fight and Hiccup/Stoick fight in the next chapter, so that’s exciting. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thanks for sticking with the obscenely long time between updates.

Keith was standing on the cliff side when he saw the fleet of viking boats return. Or, what was left of them. Several boats were missing, and the remaining ones were severely damaged — broken masts and torn sails, figure heads missing, and bites taken out of the sides. He wondered briefly how they were still afloat, but his train of thought quickly shifted as he scanned the deck.

He saw several vikings slumped against broken crates and overturned barrels, others standing at guard, swords and axes held tight and eyes constantly surveying the sky despite their arrival. At the head of the first boat was his father, and a sour taste flooded his mouth. He could see him talking to Coran, getting swarmed by other vikings as they went about their chores. His father flicked his eyes up to the cliff side, and Keith sunk behind a tree, hiding himself from him. Their last conversation hadn’t gone as planned, and he didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

Keith rushed back home, packing a few things and some food, closing the back door as the front door opened. “Keith? You home, son?” His father’s voice bounced off the walls of the house, still projecting through the door. His steps stuttered for a second, relief rushing through him that he didn’t sound mad. But the thought of his father ever finding out about Kosmo washed that relief away, and he hurried to the cove. The sooner he got Kosmo flying again, the sooner this whole nightmare would be over.

-.-.-

They’d made their way to a secluded cliff near the cove. Kosmo rolled around in the grass, stretching his wings (some time in the past week, Keith had quit referring to Kosmo as “it” and started referring to him as “him”) and purring loudly. Keith chuckled a little, once again reminded of how much dragons were like cats. He turned back to his notebook, finishing up his cheat sheet — different numbers correlating to different fin positions. A means to learn to control the flight patterns of Kosmo get them closer to their end goal — Kosmo flying again.

“Alright bud, you ready to fly?” Kosmo sat up, his ears perking up. His tail shifted excitedly, flattening the grass in its wake. Keith watched, a faint smile on his face. He stood, pulling the sheet from his notebook. “Well come on then.”

Kosmo bounded over to him, Keith narrowly avoiding being licked. A ‘bad’ habit Kosmo had picked up one time after being too excited. He smelled like old fish for a week. “You gotta settle down or I can’t get in the saddle,” Keith said, hands on his hips. Kosmo instantly froze, his tail thumping against the ground. So maybe he was also a little dog like.

Keith got in the saddle, hooking the safety strap in place and giving it a few tugs to make sure that it would stay in place, but that he could still unhook it. They’d had a few more incidents where the hook had bent after landing, so he’d made a few adjustments to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

Satisfied with it, he clipped his cheat sheet to the top of the saddle, securing it as best he could to keep it from flying away. Without it, they would be flying blind, and that was the best case scenario. Keith shook his head, clearing the thought from it. “It’s not going to fly off,” he muttered to himself. Kosmo turned his head to look at him, cocking it to the side a little. “It’s nothing bud. Come on, let’s get some flying done.”

-.-.-

Ocean hit Keith’s face as they flew over the water. The sunlight filtering into the waves gave them a crystalline look, and he took a moment to gaze at them. It had been so long since he’d been near the ocean, and he really missed seeing the water turn to flames with the sunset. He breathed in the salty air and adjusted the tail fin position, causing Kosmo to flair out his wings and propel them higher.

They were among the few clouds that were in the sky, doing circles as Keith messed with the tail positions. “Alright, let’s try position three- no four.” The gears clicked into place and Kosmo dove sharply, heading back towards the water’s surface. They angled slightly, the tip of Kosmo’s wing slicing through the water, splashing droplets into Keith’s face, before straightening out.

Kosmo made a sound of what Keith thought was happiness, and Keith pulled on the saddle end, as they entered the sea stacks. The turn wasn’t sharp enough, and Kosmo ran into the first stack. “Gods, sorry about that bud.” Keith pulled again, trying to steer them away from the next, but they ended up running in it. “That was my fault.”

Kosmo took more control of where they were going, smacking Keith’s cheek with his ear. “Yeah, yeah, I earned that.” They flew under an archway and as soon as they hit a clear patch, Keith looked at his cheat sheet. “Position four- no three.” Kosmo shot up through the rocks, flying through the clouds. White covered their vision and Keith felt mist hitting his face, droplets hanging on his lashes.

They climbed higher and higher, wind streaking pat them the faster they moved. It got cooler as they climbed, but Keith could barely feel it, the adrenaline of flying keeping him from feeling anything except excitement. The wind became so strong that by the time Keith realized that his cheat sheet was coming loose, it was too late. “Oh this is amazing! The wind in my-” His cheat sheet came unclasped and started flying past him. “-CHEAT SHEET!”

Keith scrambled to grab it, losing control of Kosmo and where they were going. Kosmo’s wings stopped moving and they started descending quickly as Keith yelled “STOP!” The quick shift in momentum caused him to fall backwards away from the dragon, and the hook came unclasped from the saddle. Keith stared free falling and Kosmo twisted his body, trying to catch him.

“Oh gods! Oh no!” Keith flattened out, trying to get Kosmo to turn in a way that would let him get back in the saddle. “You’ve got to angle yourself towards me!” Kosmo turned, his body spinning on the axis of a wing, trying to do what Keith said. His tail whipped around, hitting Keith’s face, and he started tumbling away from the dragon.

The extra momentum from the slap gave Keith enough movement to grab onto the saddle, and he pulled himself back towards Kosmo. He bit down on the cheat sheet and used one hand to stabilize himself while the other reclasped the hook. Keith changed the tail position back to the gliding position, pulling up on the saddle to try to even out their descent.

Below them was the forest, and the trees started rising up as they tumbled through the clouds. Kosmo started making a screeching noise, his wings trying to slow their descent, the skin billowing out as far as they could go. They flew past the forest and were back to the ocean, but their entrance point put them back into the sea stacks.

Keith scrambled to see what position he needed to be in, but the wind made it almost impossible to see anything on his cheat sheet. He focused on the sea stacks in front of him and threw the sheet. He went with his instincts, shifting positions in time to allow them to skate past the first few stacks. Another position change had them flying around and narrowly avoiding the next. A third change and they rolled around a shorter stack.

They kept this position as they weaved through the sea stacks, Kosmo seeming to completely trust Keith. They weaved through the last of them and sped through the fog, coming out over open ocean. Kosmo evened out his speed, and they were back to gliding above the ocean surface. “Yeah!!” Keith shouted, throwing his arms up. Kosmo shot out a fire ball, a ring of yellow light flaring out from the shot and a burning ball ahead of them.

“Oh no.” Kosmo flew them straight through the flame, the smell of singed hair mixed with the smoke, and Keith coughed, his hands falling back to the saddle. Kosmo made a laughing noise, and Keith shook his head. “You just had to one up me, didn’t you?” Kosmo made a noise, and Keith laughed. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to land.”

-.-.-

After a while, they found a sea stack far from Marmora, towards the cloud wall further out. It was different from the other sea stacks, made up of interlocking rock pillars that made various shaped towers. Keith didn’t take too much time investigating, Kosmo had other ideas. He landed them on a flat part of the island facing the setting sun, and Keith got off, Kosmo curling up behind him.

He heard the rumble of Kosmo’s stomach, and turned to see what looked like embarrassment in the dragon’s eyes. “You hungry too?” Kosmo made a noise of agreement. “Come on, let’s catch dinner.”

Another quick flight had them returning with a few fish. Keith let Kosmo have the majority of them, taking three for himself. Kosmo shot a fireball at the pile of sticks Keith had gathered, the flames shooting up before settling. “Thanks bud,” Keith said, scratching under Kosmo’s chin. Kosmo shook his head happily, and scooped up a fish, swallowing it whole. Keith skewered his fish and started roasting it, watching Kosmo.

Somehow, in the span of a few weeks, he’d become friends with the one thing his island feared. Somehow, in that time, he’d figured out and built a way to for them to fly.  _ He’d _ found a way to fly, as well as found all these secrets about dragons. He’d found-

Keith’s thoughts stopped dead as a fish head rolled towards him. Kosmo nudged it, just as he had back in the cove. Keith took his skewered fish off the fire. “No thanks, I’m good.” He took a bite, turning his attention back to the sunset as a flock of Terrible Terrors flew towards them. They landed and scurried along the ground, their talons scratching against the stone.

Kosmo started growling, curling around his pile of fish, as the Terrors started coming towards him. One grabbed the fish head and pulled back from the group, starting to eat it. Another Terror came up to it and tried to steal it, and the first reared back, shooting fire at it. The second fled away, and Keith turned to see Kosmo looking annoyed as he looked at them.

Both other their attentions were drawn to the movement of a fish, and a Terror came out of the pile, fish in mouth. Kosmo bit the head, playing tug of war with the fish, yanking it away from the Terror, who fell back. He swallowed it whole and made a laughing sound as the Terror looked on.

It reared up, getting ready to shoot a fireball at Kosmo, but Kosmo beat it to the punch. He shot his own and it went inside the Terror, causing it to inflate and lift into the air before smoke came out of its nose and it came back to the ground. It started staggering around towards Keith, and he laughed a little. “Not so fireproof on the inside, are ya?”

He felt a little bad for the Terror, and tosses a fish towards it. “There you go.” It instantly snapped out of its stupor and ate the fish in one go. Keith settled back against Kosmo, watching the Terror. It came up to him curiously, and pushed its way under his arm, laying against him. Keith carefully set a hand on the dragon’s back, listening to the purring sound it made. He started petting it, and the Terror seemed to start to fall asleep. “Everything we know about you guys, is wrong.”

-.-.-

Keith didn’t make it back to Marmora until late that night. He flew Kosmo back to the cove, giving the final fish as a parting gift before climbing back to the village. He had so much on his mind, so he went to the workshop. There were several plans for upgrades to the tail fin design that he’d been toying with, and several more of Kosmo and the different dragons in the arena. He sighed, laying his head against the desk, and started flicking his pencil up the slope, watching it fall back towards him, and doing it all over again.

He turned his head to follow the angle of the pencil, and jumped. “Dad! What… what are you doing here? Gobber’s not here,” he said, standing and shuffling his papers behind him, hoping his father hadn’t seen what they were.  _ It’s bad enough he thinks I’m a disgrace to dragon killers. He doesn’t need to know about this. _ Keith thought, watching him come in.

“I know. I came here looking for you.” There was something in his voice that put Keith on guard. 

“You did?”

“You’ve been keeping secrets.” Keith’s eyes widened, and he froze for a second. Something in his father’s eyes, something that made his fight or flight instincts kick in.

“I- I have?” Keith leaned on the desk, closing his notebook and doing his best to cover up the loose pages. An image of Kosmo being dragged by ropes flashed in his mind, and he started silently praying to the gods that his dad hadn’t found him.

“Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?” Ryou said, his eyes narrowing. Keith’s heart picked up a bit, and he started thinking of reasons for it.

“Dad, I don’t know what you’re-”

“Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it.” Keith’s heartbeat rang in his ears, and his only thought was  _ Please don’t hurt Kosmo. _ “So. Let’s talk about that dragon.” He stepped closer to Keith, and Keith’s arm slipped, the notebook falling. He could hear it opening as it fell, but was too concerned with his father to react.

Keith took a step back, kicking the book. “Oh gods. Dad, I’m so sorry. I was going to tell you, I just didn’t know to-” Ryou started laughing and Keith froze. He threw his head back, his whole body shaking from laughing. Keith started hesitantly laughing with him, not knowing what to do or what was so funny. “You- you’re- you’re not upset?”

“What? No! I was hoping for this to happen!” Keith had no idea what was going on at this point.  _ Maybe he doesn’t know about Kosmo? _

“Uh… you were?” That was all he could think of to say. That was really all he had to say.

“Believe me, it only gets better! Just you wait ‘til you spill a Nadder’s gut for the first! Oh, and mount your first Gronckle head on a spear! What a feeling!” Keith’s stomach started turning in knots. He stumbled back a few steps, falling into a pot behind him.

“You really had me going there Keith! All these years of being the  _ worst _ Viking Marmora had ever seen!” Keith pulled himself up, watching the excitement on his father’s face verging on crazy. “Odin, it was rough there for a while! I almost gave up on you! And all the while you were holding out on me!”

Ryou’s excitement was contagious, and Keith’s fight or flight instincts escaped him, leaving in their wake adrenaline. “Oh, Thor almighty! With you doing so well in the ring, we  _ finally _ have something to talk about.” Ryou finally sat down, moving the crate closer to Keith. Keith didn’t know what to do, what to say, and he stood there, hands crossed in front of him.

He looked around the workshop, trying to avoid looking at his father. Ryou scooted forward more, anticipation in his eyes. The longer Keith stayed quiet, the more he could see disappoint creeping in. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ryou beat him to it.

“Oh, I… I brought you something.” He turned behind him and pulled out a worn helmet. It looked old and battered, and too big for his own head. Ryou’s voice was soft, a stark contrast to his demeanor earlier. “To keep you safe in the ring.” He pushed it into Keith’s hands, and Keith took it.

“Wow, dad, thanks, really.” Keith put as much sincerity as he could into it, because it was true. He was thankful for it. It was the first gift he’d gotten from him that wasn’t about dragon killing.

“Ah, well, you’re mother would’ve wanted you to have it. It’s half of her breast plate.” Keith all but dropped it, looking up at his dad. “Matching set,” Ryou knocked his own, “keeps her… keeps her close. Wear it proudly. You deserve it.” Guilt nodded itself in Keith’s stomach, and he kept quiet. “You’ve held up your end of the deal.”

Keith set the helmet on the desk, his eyes never leaving his dad’s. The quiet was growing, and he faked a yawn, stretching his arms out wide. “I should really be getting to bed.”

Ryou perked up, standing quickly. “Yes, good! Okay. Good talk. I’ll, uh, see you back at the house. He hit his head against a beam as he stumbled backwards. They started talking over each other, both not knowing what to say to the other.

“Well, uh… good night.” Ryou pushed through the door, leaving Keith by himself. He sighed, falling back against the desk.  _ What am I going to do now?” _

-.-.-

The next morning was overcast with the smell of rain on the wind. Keith hid behind a barrier as a Gronckle flew around the arena looking for him. He held his shield close as he watched the flight pattern, tracking the dragon. The barrier shifted slightly and he looked to his left to see Lance ducking behind it next to him. He held the axe up as he pulled Keith’s shield down.

“Stay out of my way, I’m winning this thing,” Lance said, getting up in his face. Keith looked at him for a second longer before springing up, chasing after the dragon.

“By all means, please do,” Keith said, knowing he wasn’t heard. He looked up at the crowd, seeing most of the vikings watching Lance, and he looked after him, watching him stalk to the dragon, jumping behind barriers and staying out of sight.

Keith stuck to the edge of the arena, following the dragon’s movements before diving behind the furthest barrier. The Gronckle flew towards him and, with one last look at the crowd, he dropped his shield and took off his helmet, holding his hand out to the dragon.

There wasn’t much time for him to do anything, if the yell he heard from Lance was any indication. With the dragon distracted with his outstretched hand, he used his other to scratch under its chin. The dragon fell to the ground, rolling onto its side.

Lance ran towards them, axe raised, and Keith backed away, bumping into the barrier. Lance stopped when he saw them, hitting his axe on the ground. “No! No, son of a half-troll, rat-eating munge bucket!” Keith watched him, guilt rising in his chest. He knew how much this meant to Lance, but he couldn’t let him hurt the dragon.

There was a banging above them, and Ryou’s booming voice rang over the crowd. “Wait, wait!” Keith looked up to see the Elder looking down at them. Bile rose in the back of his throat.

“So, later!” Keith said, walking quickly to the exit. Coran caught him, pulling him back.

“Nope, not so fast Keith.” Coran’s grip was like iron, and he couldn’t slip out of it.

“I-I… I’m kind of late for-“

“Late for  _ what _ exactly Keith?! What could you possibly be late for?!” Lance said, stalking towards him. He could the anger rolling off of him, and he tipped his head back as Lance’s axe was pushed under his chin. Their was malice and hatred in his eyes, making them stormy and dangerous. Keith gulped, taking a few steps back.

Coran stepped between the two, pushing Keith away from Lance. “Okay, quiet down everyone. The Elder has decided.” A tense silence traveled through the crowd, and Keith felt like his heart was in his throat.

His hands started to shake slightly, and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. He knew what was to come, what this decision meant. Keith sent a silent prayer to the gods.

Coran raised a hand over Lance, looking at the Elder. She shook her head, and the crowd gasped, murmurs rippling through it. His other hand pointed to Keith, and the Elder smiled, nodding. The crowd started cheering, and Keith could see the pride in his father’s eyes.

Keith winced, his stomach dropping.  _ No gods, please no. _ Coran looked at him and smiled. “Oh you’ve done it! You’ve done it Keith! You get to kill the dragon!”

Lance glared at him, but he didn’t get to see it for long. He was swarmed by Matt, Pidge, Hunk and Allura, being hoisted onto Hunk’s shoulders.

“Ha ha! That’s my boy! I knew you could do it!” Ryou said, smiling down at him. Keith’s heart pounded in his ears as he was carried around the arena, the vikings cheering him on from above. He watched Coran pull the Gronckle back into its cage, and Allura grabbed his helmet handing it to him.

Keith looked down at it, feeling bile rise in his throat again. This wasn’t what he’d wanted. He didn’t want to kill a dragon. He couldn’t kill a dragon. His stomach knotted itself, his heart thrumming in his ears.

“Oh, yeah, yay. I can’t wait. I am so…”

-.-.-

“...leaving. We’re leaving!” Keith walked around one of the boulders in the cove. He dropped the basket he had on his back on the ground. “Let’s pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever.” He crouched down next to it, flipping it open.

He fumbled with the straps of his harness, making sure they were secure. Keith stood, finishing his check, and jerked his head up when he heard the sound of stone scraping on metal. He looked up to see Lance sitting on the boulder in front of him, sharpening his axe.

“Agh, what the-! What are you doing here?” Keith stumbled back a few steps, eyeing the axe.

Lance dropped the stone, doing a once over of his axe. Despite the situation, Keith couldn’t help but take a second to admire how he looked with the sun behind him. It made it look as though Lance were glowing, and it was a little mesmerising.

“I want to know what’s going on.” Lance looked at him, the axe raised. He jumped off the boulder, walking towards him. “No one just gets as good as you do.  _ Especially _ you.” Keith kept his gaze on the axe, trying to keep his distance from the weapon. “Start talking! Are you training with someone?”

Lance got up in his face, and Keith turned away, stumbling over his words. “Uh, uh… training?”

“It better not involve this,” Lance said, grabbing part of Keith’s harness. The height advantage he had made it so Keith had to walk on the balls of his feet to keep from falling.

“I know this looks really bad, but you see…” Keith trailed off as Lance let him go, walking past him. There was a cracking sound behind them and Lance gasped, pulling him to the ground as he turned.

He started towards the sound, and Keith’s instincts kicked in. He scrambled to his feet, chasing after him. “You’re right! You’re right, I’m through with the lies! I’ve been making outfits!” He tried to get Lance’s attention, and walked in front of him, pulling his free hand to his chest.

“So, you got me. It’s time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead, here we go.” Lance grabbed his arm and twisted it, causing something to pop in his elbow and for him to fall. “Ow! Why would you  _ do _ that?!”

Keith tried to sit up and Lance pushed him down again. “That’s for the lies.” Keith tried to take a breath, watching Lance move. He watched as Lance moved to the butt of the axe over his chest and dropped it on him, the breath rushing out of him. The axe bounced back into his hands, and Lance caught it. “That’s for everything else.”

He started to stand, and he heard Kosmo growl behind him. “Oh man,” he grumbled.

“Get down!” Lance shouted, tackling Keith to the ground. Kosmo growled and roared, and he saw him running towards them, jumping off rocks and trying to fly. Lance rolled off of him, readying his axe. “Run, run!”

Keith watched Lance, his body frozen. He didn’t know what to do. Kosmo jumped onto the boulder in front of them and used it to propel himself forward. Keith jumped to his feet, turning and tackling Lance before Kosmo could get to him.

“No, no!” He pulled the axe out of Lance’s hand and threw it away from them before turning his attention to the distraught dragon. Keith stuck his hands out, turning his face away from the wind being pushed towards him from the flapping wings.

“It’s okay! It’s okay…” Kosmo started to calm down, staying at big as possible but no longer moving frantically. “She’s a friend.” Kosmo fell onto all fours, and Keith turned to Lance. “It’s okay, you just scared him is all.”

Lance got to his feet, taking several steps back. “ _ I _ scared  _ him _ ?!” Kosmo nudged at Keith, trying to get under his arm, and Keith pushed him back, keeping him away from Lance. “Who is ‘him’?”

Keith pushed off of Kosmo, taking a step forward. “Lance, Kosmo. Kosmo, Lance.” Kosmo snorted, baring his teeth and growling. Lance looked at him like he was crazy, and if he was honest, maybe he was.

Lance took off running, and Keith watched as he started climbing out of the cove. “Da da da, we’re dead!” Kosmo growled, turning away from him, walking back to the far side of the cove. Keith turned, trying to grab at his tail. “Whoa, hey, where do you think you’re going?!”

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The light coming from the sunset had turned the clouds orange and pink, and it was really a beautiful sight. He heard Lance breathing heavily and felt him start to sit up behind him. Lance’s grip loosened a little, and he felt him pull away from his back. Keith looked over his shoulder to see Lance looking around them at the clouds completely encompassing them. At the wonder in his eyes and the way the light played off his damp hair.
> 
> His heartbeat picked up a little, and he looked away, focusing on what was in front of them. He could see that Kosmo had calmed down, his eyes no longer slits and filled with anger. Instead, they were calm and relaxed, filled with a similar sense of wonder and interest he’d seen in Lance’s.
> 
> Keith looked back at Lance. Lance was completely in awe at the scene around them. He couldn’t blame him. The first time Kosmo had taken him up into the clouds, it had taken him completely by surprise at how beautiful everything looked. They’d stayed up there for a while, partly because Kosmo seemed to want to be among the stars again, and partly because Keith just didn’t want to land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Two updates in two weeks? Shocking, I know. But I had some time and really wanted to write more of this, so here! I chose to end this chapter here because the next scene really does fit with what would've been the next chapter, and because I felt like this was the perfect place to end this chapter. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It was one of my favourites to write.

Kosmo took them weaving through the trees as the followed after Lance. Keith clung tightly to him, feeling the irritation and aggravation coming from the dragon. He didn’t have time to worry about that, though. He had to get to Lance, before he got back to the village. Had to explain everything. Had to get him to understand.

They caught up to him, and Kosmo swooped low as Lance jumped over a log. He didn’t get the chance to land, Kosmo grabbing his arm and plucking him out of the air. Keith heard Lance yell, and glanced down quickly to make sure that Lance wasn’t falling. Instead, he saw him clawing at Kosmo, trying to cling to his scales as they flew higher.

Keith steered them towards the tree tops, bringing them higher and higher. “Oh Great Odin’s ghost! Oh gods, this is it!” he heard Lance yell as though climbed, wincing a little at the fear he heard in his voice. Lance kept yelling until they landed on a pine tree. Kosmo let go of Lance, and Lance gripped onto one of the branches, hanging precariously over the ocean below them as Kosmo landed on the top, causing the tree the bend and creak.

“Keith, I swear to Odin, get me down from here!” Lance yelled, readjusting his grip on the branch. Keith leaned over, trying to catch Lance’s eyes through the pine needles.

“You have to give me a chance to explain.” He caught his eyes for a brief second before Lance looked away, starting to make his way for the base of the branch nearest the trunk.

“I am _not_ listening to _anything_ you have to say!”

“Then I won’t speak. Just let me show you.” This got Lance’s attention, and he quit moving. Keith raised his hands slowly, calmly. “Please Lance.” Lance looked below him, looked back up at him, and resignation flashed over his face.

Lance pulled himself on top of the branch, and Keith stretched out a hand to help. Lance slapped it away, anger in his eyes, and he climbed onto Kosmo, situating himself behind Keith. Kosmo growled, turning as much as he could to look at Lance, but Keith nudged his head, getting him to calm down and turn back forward.

“Now get me down from here.”

“Kosmo, down. Gently.” Kosmo flared his wings, letting the wind build beneath them. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

Oh, how wrong he was. Kosmo propelled himself upwards, causing Keith to yell. His wings beat heavily against the air, and the wind whipped at his face. Lance started yelling as their ascent hit a straight path upwards, propelling them through the clouds.

‘’Kosmo?! What is _wrong_ with you?!” Keith yelled, the momentum starting to cause him to fall backwards. Lance started clawing at his shoulders, his legs wrapping around his waist and his hands hitting his shoulders and face. “Bad dragon!”

Kosmo steadied out for a second, just long enough for Lance to get a better hold of Keith. Under other circumstances, Keith would’ve gotten flustered. But given that it felt like Kosmo was trying to fling Lance off of him, he didn’t really get to feel anything except the panic of getting the dragon under control.

“He’s not usually like this,” Keith said, grabbing hold of the saddle. Kosmo tipped his wings to the side, and they started falling towards the ocean. “Oh no…”

Lance started screaming again, and Kosmo turned so that they were falling back first to the water. They plummeted into it, the shock of the cold causing Keith to gasp. They were under for less than a second before shooting back out, the wind whipping them.

Kosmo skipped along the ocean surface, zigzagging across the water. “Kosmo, what in Odin’s name are you doing? We need him to like us!” Keith yelled, trying to get through to the dragon. Instead, the dragon shot back up through the clouds before starting to spin. “And now he’s spinning,” Keith grumbled to himself.

All the while, Lance continued to scream, clinging tightly to Keith. “Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile.” Kosmo shot straight down towards the water again, tumbling over himself. As the water got nearer, Keith felt Lance cling tightly to him, burying his face in his shoulders.

“Okay! Okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just please get me off this thing,” Lance said, his voice muffled against his back. The ocean surface came ever closer, and right before they hit it again, Kosmo flared his wings out, the wind catching underneath them. The force caused them to shoot back into the sky, but this time, they were level with the sea stacks in front of them, gliding slowly through the air.

Keith looked over his shoulder, seeing just how frightened Lance was, and tugged on the saddle, causing Kosmo to shift course up to the clouds. He didn’t know if this was going to work, if what he was doing was going to make things worse, but he followed his instincts. 

The light coming from the sunset had turned the clouds orange and pink, and it was really a beautiful sight. He heard Lance breathing heavily and felt him start to sit up behind him. Lance’s grip loosened a little, and he felt him pull away from his back. Keith looked over his shoulder to see Lance looking around them at the clouds completely encompassing them. At the wonder in his eyes and the way the light played off his damp hair.

His heartbeat picked up a little, and he looked away, focusing on what was in front of them. He could see that Kosmo had calmed down, his eyes no longer slits and filled with anger. Instead, they were calm and relaxed, filled with a similar sense of wonder and interest he’d seen in Lance’s.

Keith looked back at Lance. Lance was completely in awe at the scene around them. He couldn’t blame him. The first time Kosmo had taken him up into the clouds, it had taken him completely by surprise at how beautiful everything looked. They’d stayed up there for a while, partly because Kosmo seemed to want to be among the stars again, and partly because Keith just didn’t want to land.

They continued to fly through the clouds, the only indication that were getting higher being the way the wind flew through their hair. Keith kept glancing back to Lance, a smile starting to form at the way Lance looked around them. One of his hands left Keith’s shoulders, pushing through the clouds, as though trying to grab at them. The cloud went through his fingers like smoke, and the smile Lance had made Keith’s heart melt a little.

Kosmo circled around one of them, doing a loop that took them upside down. Both of Lance’s hands fell into the cloud, his legs tightening a little to keep from falling. Keith felt his face flush a little and his heartbeat pick up. He could only imagine the smile that Lance had, the way his eyes were probably glittering as they caught the sunset.

Keith looked ahead, seeing pillars of clouds in front of and around them. It reminded him of the sea stacks, the way they rose and twisted. They were breaks in them where he could see darkening blue sky melting the sunset sky, and he could just barely see the first hint of stars.

They broke through the clouds, and Keith looked down, an ocean of clouds below. It made him laugh a little, that childlike wonder filling his chest. He loved this view, almost more than anything else. Kosmo tipped them upside down again, and Lance’s arms wrapped around his waist, making his jolt a little.

Above them was another layer of clouds, these one wispier and more smoke like, grouped together tight enough that it looked like a fog bank. Kosmo twisted around, taking them up through them. The air was colder there, the clouds darkening from the oranges and pinks he was used to seeing.

When they broke through, the only light that shone was that of the moon, shining brightly against a deep blue background. He could see more stars glittering now that the sun was no longer visible, and when he looked down at Kosmo, he could see the dragon’s skin starting to glow ever so slightly. Just softly enough to match the moonlight.

The further they flew, the more surreal everything felt. An aurora started up above them, greens and blues and purples shifting above them in waves. Lance sat just a bit closer to Keith, and, again, Keith’s face flushed. He peeked over his shoulder to see Lance looking at the aurora in wonder. The colours playing over his face and in his eyes made his heart do a small flip.

They flew to the edge of the clouds, starting to descend, and below, they could see Marmora -- the statue pyres at the edge of the island burning brightly, the village lit with torches, the occupants just barely able to be heard. It really was a sight to see. Lance leaned forward, holding tightly onto Lance, his chest flush to his back. Keith glanced back, seeing a soft smile on Lance’s face, making him smile himself.

Kosmo took them through the sea stacks closest to the island, weaving through them. They flew past one of the pyres, and the heat coming from it made him and Lance both sigh a little, the chill of flying falling away, just a little. Kosmo took them around the island, flying higher over the forests on the far side.

Lance sat up as Kosmo steadied out, gliding through the sky. “Alright, I admit it, this… this is pretty cool. It’s.. amazing.” Lance reached a hand forward, smoothing over the top of Kosmo’s head. “ _He’s_ amazing.”

-.-.-

“So what now?” Lance asked. Keith kept his eyes on the ocean below them, already knowing where this conversation was going. “Keith, your final exam is tomorrow! You know you’re going to have to kill a--” Lance cut himself off, leaning close to Keith. “--kill a dragon.”

Keith’s brow furrowed and guilt twisted in his gut. He didn’t want to kill a dragon. He was so sure of that now. The thought of it made him feel sick. “I know, don’t remind me.”

Kosmo started jerking beneath them, falling towards the ocean below. Lance grabbed onto Keith as they fell, a yelp escaping both of them. “Kosmo, what’s going on?” Keith asked, holding tightly to the saddle as the fell. The clouds swallowed them the closer they got to the water, and Kosmo stopped descending as they were engulfed in them.

“What is it bud?” Kosmo didn’t react to him, instead growling and veering the right as a Monstrous Nightmare flew next to them. “Get down,” Keith whispered, ducking down against Kosmo’s body. Lance followed suit, leaning over him. They was the red dragon disappear into the clouds in front of them, and Kosmo veered more to the right, staying away from it.

Growls started coming from all sides, and a Nadder and Nightmare appeared on both sides of them. Fear started to travel through his body, and by the way Lance was tensing, he guessed he felt the same. More dragons started appearing through the clouds, and soon they were surrounded -- Nadders and Nightmares and Gronckles all headed for the same place Kosmo was taking them.

Keith noticed they all had fish or sheep clutched in their talons. “Where are they all going?” he whispered to himself, watching the clouds start to fall dissipate.

“What’s going on?” Lance asked him, the fear seeping into his voice.

“I don’t know. Kosmo, you have to get out of here. We’re not safe,” Keith said, trying to tug them away from the herd. Kosmo didn’t budge, shaking off the hand that was on his head. Keith looked around worriedly, looking into the herd. “It looked like they’re hauling in their kill.”

“So what does that make us?”

Keith didn’t get to answer, instead keeping quiet as Kosmo shot down with the other dragons. They started weaving through sea stacks -- ones that Keith had never seen -- avoiding the dragons around them. Something started glowing in front of them, through the fog, and the closer they got, the clearer it was.

There was an island, black sand and scorched stone on the shores. A large volcano stood in the center, trails of lava leaking over the sides and making their way down the rock. The dragons flew towards an opening in the side, and Keith ducked down again as Kosmo followed.

They twisted and turned with the tunnel, the air getting progressively hotter the further they went. The rock started glowing red, and they came to a large cavern, heat billowing out over them. A massive lava pit sat in the center of the cavern, covered in fog, and the dragon herd started dropping their kill into the pit. Kosmo’s movements got jerky again, and he flew them away from the pit to the edge, hiding in an alcove away from the other dragons.

“What my dad wouldn’t give to find this,” Keith said, watching as the dragons flew over the pit. “Well, it’s satisfying to know that all of our food had been dumped down a hold in the ground,” he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

“They’re not eating any of it.” Lance sounded confused, just as confused as Keith felt. They sat there and watched, waiting for something they knew was there, but couldn’t identify.

A drunk looking Gronckle flew in, well after the rest of the herd, hovering over the pit. It drooped a little before righting itself, and it spit up a single small fish. It watched it fall before lazily turning to fly away when it stopped, a low, deep growl coming from below. The Gronckle started taking off, its movements a little frantic, but it didn’t get far. A massive green head shot through the smoke and fog, its mouth opening and swallowing the Gronckle whole.

“What… is _that_?” Lance whispered. All around them, the other dragons shrunk back in their alcoves and resting places, scared of the behemoth in front of them. The beast fell back down through the fog before reappearing, starting to turn to where they were hiding.

“Alright bud, we gotta get out of here. Now!” Kosmo took off, his movements hurried and frantic. The beast moved impossibly fast, snapping at the air where they’d been just mere seconds after they’d left. The herd of dragons started leaving, crashing into each other. Kosmo weaved through them, narrowly avoiding the jaws of the beast below. They escaped with the herd, using it to stay out of sight as they flew back to Marmora.

-.-.-

“No, it totally makes sense! It’s like a massive beehive. The herd are the workers, and that beast is the queen. It controls them.” Kosmo had flown them back to the cove, and Lance swung his legs and dropped to the ground as soon as he landed. “Come on, let’s go find your dad.”

“No, no, Lance!” Keith jumped down, running after him. He stopped in front of him, looking at Lance with pleading eyes. “Not yet. They’ll… they’ll kill Kosmo, Lance. We have to think this through carefully.”

Keith started pacing, trying to think of a plan. “Keith, we just discovered the Dragons’ Nest. The single most important thing we’ve been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret?! To protect your pet dragon?! Are you serious?!”

He stopped, turning back to Lance. He may not have a plan, may not know what to do about tomorrow or the fact that, yeah, they had found the nest. But he knew he couldn’t go charging to his dad with this information while Kosmo was still in danger.

“Yes.” A single word, but one that resounded with as much conviction as Keith could hold. He watched Lance’s face shift from disbelief to concern to understanding, and he looked away, turning halfway towards Kosmo.

“Okay. So what do we do?”

“Just… give me to tomorrow. I’ll figure something out.” Keith could hear the defeat in his voice, the guilt weighing heavily on him. He couldn’t makes himself look at Lance. Not with everything on his mind.

“Okay.” He heard Lance take a step, but wasn’t expecting to be punched. He gasped, clutching at his arm. “That’s for kidnapping me.” Keith turned to him, angry and in pain. Lance didn’t move, just looked at him, and Keith looked back at Kosmo, who was drinking water from the pond behind them. Kosmo just shook his head, and Keith turned back to Lance.

Lance moved a hand forward, and Keith was scared he was going to get hit again. Instead, Lance pulled him towards him, kissing him on the cheek. Keith was frozen, his eyes widening with shock and his face flushing. “That’s for… everything else.” Lance took off, and Keith stood there, watching him disappear.

He smiled a little to himself. “Lance just… kissed me,” he whispered. Kosmo came up next to him, warbling as he looked at him. Keith’s face flushed again. “What are you looking at?” he said, embarrassed, looking at where Lance had disappeared.

-.-.-

The sun was out when Keith walked to the arena. Uncharacteristic, if you asked him, for what he was expected to do. The whole village was crowded around the cage, cheering loudly. He saw his father standing on one end, pride clear on his face. Keith’s breathing hitched, and he stood behind the gate to the arena.

“Well, I can show my face in public again!” The village cheered louder, some of it turning to laughter. He saw his dad raise a hand, quieting everyone. “If someone had told me that in only a few short weeks, Keith would be going from, well… Keith, to placing first in dragon training, I would’ve tired him to a mast and shipped him off for fear that he’d gone mad!”

_Thanks for the vote of confidence dad,_ Keith thought. His stomach was churning and tying itself in knots, and his legs felt like they were going to give out. His mind flashed to last night, of him and Lance’s conversation. He still hadn’t figured out what he was going to do. Still hadn’t figured out, well, anything.

“But here we are. And no one’s more surprised…” Ryou’s eyes found Keith’s, all the way across the arena, “or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. Today, he becomes one of us!”

Keith looked away, guilt twisting his gut into a tighter knot. It rose into his chest, his throat, and he could barely breathe. He clutched his helmet to his chest, rooted where he stood. “Be careful with that dragon.” He jumped a little when he heard Lance speak, and he glanced over his shoulder, feeling the ice start to melt.

He looked back up at his father, at the proud smile he had. The excitement in his movements. Guilt washed over him again. “It’s not the dragon I’m worried about.”

“What are you going to do?” Lance asked. Something clicked inside Keith, and resolution drowned out the guilt.

“Put an end to this.” Keith could feel Lance’s eyes on him, but he didn’t turn to look at him. “I have to try.” He took a breath before speaking again, turning to look at Lance. “Lance, if something happens to me out there, if something goes wrong… just make sure they don’t find Kosmo.”

“I will, just, promise me it won’t go wrong.”

Keith didn’t get to promise him. Didn’t get to say anything. Coran rounded the corner, taking his arm. “It’s time, Keith. Knock him dead.” _Dead, yeah, that’s what I’m supposed to do._

They switched spots -- Coran standing with Lance behind the gate and Keith walking into the arena. He put his helmet on, partly for show, partly to make sure he could get to the dragon without dying.

The walk to the middle of the arena felt like a death march. The clouds had started pulling over the sun, and everyone was watching him. He heard Matt say something, but it was lost in the rushing in his ears. In his heart beat that drowned out almost every sound.

He stopped at the weapons rack, grabbing a shield and a dagger. He didn’t need much, not if he was going to end this. Keith steeled himself, looking up at his father. “I’m ready.” His voice didn’t shake, his hands didn’t shake. He sounded confident, determined. Ready.

The pillar locking the cage was lifted, and the doors burst open, the Monstrous Nightmare covered in flames as it climbed along the walls of the arena and cage. It blasted fire through the crowd, its own flames dissipating. It hung upside down for a second before finally seeing Keith, and it slowly lowered itself to the ground.

Keith took a few steps back, keeping eye contact with the dragon. He was scared, of course he was, but showing fear would only agitate the dragon. It was something he’d learned while being with Kosmo. The dragon inched closer, and he dropped his dagger and shield, putting his hands in front of him.

He heard Ryou ask “What is he doing?” but he couldn’t turn his focus away. There was grumbling from the village, but he paid them no mind. The dragon growled and flared its nostrils as it came closer to him.

Keith lowered his hands a little, keeping them between him and the dragon. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Keith stopped moving, and the dragon did too. He glanced up at his father before looking back at it, reaching up and taking off his helmet. “I’m not one of them.” He threw his helmet to the side, hearing the crowd gasp.

The dragon followed the helmet, eyeing it suspiciously. It looked back at him, less wary. “Stop the fight,” Ryou said, causing Keith to look at him. He was standing, anger flashing in his eyes.

“No.” Keith looked back at the dragon. “I need you all to see this.” He reached a hand out like he’d done with Kosmo, the Nightmare sniffing at it. “They’re not what we think they are. We don’t have to kill them.”

His hand hovered a few inches over the dragon’s snout when Ryou finally snapped. “I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!” He slammed a hammer against the cage, and the sound caused the dragon to enter fight-or-flight. It’s pupils turned to slits and it snapped at Keith’s hand.

Keith stumbled backwards, jerking his hands away just in time. The dragon ran after him, spitting fire. He could feel the heat on his back as he was just barely faster than it. He ran around the arena, the dragon on his heels. He couldn’t think, too scared to do anything but _run_.

He heard Lance call his name, but looking back at him would be giving the dragon enough time to catch up, so instead he focused on trying to predict where the dragon would fire next. Keith heard the gate get propped open, heard Lance sliding underneath it, but a blast of fire caused him to duck, and he saw the weapons rack.

He ran straight for it, pulling the other shield off. His only defense against the dragon at this point. The dragon leapt into the rack, knocking it over as soon as Keith was away. He kept running, using the shield to protect himself as more fire was shot towards him.

“Keith!” He glanced over at Lance, and saw him kick up a hammer, throwing it at the dragon. It hit it square in the snout, causing it to collide with the wall. The dragon became disoriented for a few seconds, enough time for Keith to get away. The dragon turned its attention to Lance, running straight towards him.

“This way!” Keith turned to see Ryou at the gate, lifting it and gesturing for them to run out. Both him and Lance changed their direction, running towards him. Lance got their first, being pushed behind Ryou, and Keith ran as fast as he could towards the gate. The Nightmare had a different idea though.

It blasted the wall in front of him with fire, and Keith stumbled as he ducked, running in the opposite direction. The dragon was after him now that Lance was gone. He didn’t get far. The dragon smacked him with his wing, causing him to fall, and he had enough time to turn on his back before he was pinned underneath its claws.

He looked up at the dragon, could see that it was frightened and angry, and the dragon leaned close to him. He closed his eyes, knowing that there was no saving him from here. Keith steeled himself, ready for the attack, waiting--

A blast came from behind him and smoke filled the arena. The Nightmare’s foot pressed down, not enough to hurt him, but enough to keep him from being able to wiggle out of its clutches. He opened his eyes, looking above him.

Kosmo was on the dragon’s back, using his weight to topple the dragon over. The Nightmare screeched, being tipped to the left, and it let go of Keith. Keith scrambled away from the fight, watching the two dragons fight. He heard various shouts “Kosmic Wing!” from the crowd, but he didn’t care. Didn’t care that the village knew about Kosmo. Only knew that he had to protect him.

They rolled, the Nightmare trying to knock Kosmo off of him, and he succeeded. Kosmo landed on his back, the Nightmare snapping at his stomach, and Kosmo kicked it away. The Nightmare stared at him, but Kosmo stood between them, backing towards Keith. Protecting him.

Every advance the Nightmare made was met with Kosmo snapping and growling. It couldn’t make any headway. Kosmo wasn’t letting it near him. The Nightmare finally retreated, running towards the opposite end of the arena, and Keith ran forward, looking around them.

The villagers were angry, were in disbelief. They didn’t know what was going on. Keith felt something sink in his stomach. “Alright, Kosmo, go. You have to get out of here!”

He pushed at Kosmo’s head, trying to get him to leave, as vikings started jumping into the arena. “Kosmo please! You have to go!” The vikings surrounded them, their weapons brandished. Ryou started running towards them, axe in hand, and he heard Lance trying to stop him.

“No dad! He won’t hurt you!” Kosmo growled, getting ready to strike. Kosmo charged towards Ryou, knocking away the vikings that tried to stop him. “No, don’t! You’re only making it worse!” Kosmo pounced, pinning Ryou to the ground. “Kosmo stop!!”

Kosmo reared up, growling as purple light started filling his mouth. Keith was starting to panic. “No! NOOOOO!!” Kosmo dropped back down, looking back at him. He was scared. Kosmo was so scared. Keith looked at him, trying to formulate a plan.

“Get him!” A hammer hit him, and Kosmo got knocked to the side, unpinning Ryou. A viking charged forward, pulling his head to the ground and pinning him there. More came running towards him, piling on top of him to keep him down. Keith tried to run towards him, but Lance caught him, holding him back.

“No! Please, just-- just don’t hurt him! Please don’t hurt him…” He saw Ryou stumble to his feet, taking a few staggering steps. His helmet had been knocked off, and he was glaring at Kosmo. Coran came up next to him, taking his axe,

There was so much venom and anger in his voice, and for a second, Keith didn’t recognize him. “Put him with the others.” The vikings restrained him, and Ryou turned his attention to Keith. He walked forward, grabbing his arm. “Home, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I really do recommend listening to the soundtrack while reading this. The music, to me, is really what makes the scenes what they are. For this chapter, you'd want to listen to: Astrid Goes for a Spin, Romantic Flight (which is one of my faves), Dragon's Den, The Cove, and The Kill Ring.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith stood there, watching the ships leave. Stood there long after they had disappeared far beyond the sea stacks. Long after the rest of the village had left to go back. He stood there, beating himself up over and over. Beating himself up for ever downing Kosmo. Beating himself up for ever trying to show the village that dragons were monsters. Beating himself up for ever being born. For not being the son his father wanted. For being… him.
> 
> Lance walked over to him, standing next to him, and they both stared out at the water in silence. Keith was too lost in thought. Lance’s presence was barely noticed. All Keith wanted to do was fix things. Fix everything.
> 
> “It’s a mess. You must feel horrible. You’ve lost everything. Your father, your tribe, your best friend…” Lance’s voice was condescending, but the words themselves felt like they were. Keith already knew he’d lost everything. Knew that as soon as Kosmo came to save him in the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A week later, a new chapter. The last dragon fight against the Green Death will always tug at my heart. This one is also a little longer because, yay! We finished movie one! I'm still on the fence on if I want to move on to movie two or do the series. But seriously, thank you to everyone who stuck with me through movie one. Don't worry! This isn't finished yet! We still have two more movies to go!

Ryou all but threw Keith into their home, and he stumbled as he caught his footing. It was pitch dark, the only light coming from the door. Ryou walked in, swinging the door closed behind him. It creaked back open as he walked in. “I should have known. I should have seen the signs.”

“Dad-” Keith started, getting cut off as his father turned around.

“We had a deal!” There was so much anger in his voice. So much betrayal. Keith’s stomach twisted like it had back at the arena. Ryou turned back around, starting to pace.

“I know we did-- But that was before-- Ugh, it’s all so messed up!” Keith followed after him, trying to get him to listen.

Ryou stopped pacing, turning to look down at Keith. “So everything in the ring, a trick?! A lie?!” he spat, turning away again.

Keith started stumbling over his words, trying to explain. “I screwed up. I should have told you before now.” Ryou started pacing again, and Keith followed. “Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please… just don’t hurt Kosmo.”

He tried to reach out to his father, practically pleading with him, and Ryou froze, jerking around. He was in disbelief, processing what Keith had said. “The dragon? That’s what you’re worried about? Not the people you almost killed?!”

“He was just protecting me! He’s not dangerous!”

“They’ve killed HUNDREDS OF US!”

“AND WE’VE KILLED THOUSANDS OF THEM!!” Ryou looked at him again in disbelief, this time at having been yelled at. Keith knew yelling wasn’t going to solve anything, but he didn’t care. He had to get his father to listen to him. To try to understand.

“They defend themselves, that’s all! They raid us because they have to!” His father was pacing again, and Keith’s voice was starting to get more and more panicky. “If they don’t bring enough food back, they’ll be eaten themselves. There’s something else on their island, dad… it’s a dragon like--”

Ryou finally stopped pacing, turning and looking at him. “Their island? So you’ve been to the nest?” His father had whispered the second half, and Keith immediately started to backtrack on what he said.

“Did I say nest?”

“How did you find it?!” Ryou was walking closer to him, and Keith started backing away. It felt like when he was in the ring with the Monstrous Nightmare all over again -- backing away from something that could hurt or kill him if he did or said the wrong thing.

“No… I didn’t find it.  _ Kosmo _ did. Only a dragon can find the island.” He wasn’t thinking, going on instinct. Keith didn’t know what he was saying until it was too late.

Ryou looked away from him, his eyes wide. “Oh, no, no. Dad, no! Dad! Please, it’s not what you think! You don’t know what you’re up against! It’s not like anything you’ve ever seen!” He was very clearly not listening to anything Keith was saying. Ryou pushed past him, towards the door.

“Dad, please! I promise you that you can’t win this one!” Keith started following him, trying to get through to him. “No! Dad, no!”

Keith grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. “FOR  _ ONCE  _ IN YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU  _ PLEASE _ JUST LISTEN TO ME!!”

Ryou threw him off, and Keith fell to the floor behind him. His father was silhouetted against the light coming in through the open door, and he turned, glaring down at him. “You’ve thrown you’re lot in with them. You’re not a Viking. You’re not my son.”

Keith watched him walk out, watched him slam the door behind him. Something splintered in his chest, and he felt like his whole world was falling away. “READY THE SHIPS!” his father yelled. His voice sounded distant and echoey, and Keith couldn’t do anything but sit there.

-.-.-

Keith watched from the cliffside as all the able bodied Vikings started loading ships -- crate of food, barrels of water, tons and tons of weapons -- all stowed on the ships. He watched as Kosmo was wrestled onto a pallet, his legs chained to the wood, a wooden clamp going around his head, chains being pulled through the ends to secure his head. It made him sick to watch.

Kosmo was lifted onto one of the boats, struggling against his bindings. Ryou jumped onto the boat Kosmo was on. “Set sail! We head for Helheim’s gate,” he yelled, the ships starting to leave. Keith watched, guilt eating him away from the inside. 

He caught his father’s eye, and Keith stared him down.  _ This is a bad idea. Nothing good will come of this. Why won’t you listen to me? _ Keith thought, wishing he could tell him that. Ryou looked away, disgust and betrayal so clear in his eyes, even from so far away. He saw him bend down to tell something to Kosmo, saw Kosmo pull away, his tail swishing erratically.

Keith stood there, watching the ships leave. Stood there long after they had disappeared far beyond the sea stacks. Long after the rest of the village had left to go back. He stood there, beating himself up over and over. Beating himself up for ever downing Kosmo. Beating himself up for ever trying to show the village that dragons were monsters. Beating himself up for ever being born. For not being the son his father wanted. For being… him.

Lance walked over to him, standing next to him, and they both stared out at the water in silence. Keith was too lost in thought. Lance’s presence was barely noticed. All Keith wanted to do was fix things. Fix everything.

“It’s a mess. You must feel horrible. You’ve lost everything. Your father, your tribe, your best friend…” Lance’s voice was condescending, but the words themselves felt like they were. Keith already knew he’d lost everything. Knew that as soon as Kosmo came to save him in the arena.

He glared a little at Lance. “Thank you for summing that up.” Keith shook his head, looking to the side. “Why couldn’t I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods? It would have been better for everyone.” His voice was quiet, and he was talking to himself. But he knew that Lance could hear him. Hear the self deprecation in his voice. He didn’t care.

“Yep. The rest of us would have done it. So why didn’t you?” Keith saw Lance turn to him out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t meet his gaze. He kept his eyes trained on the water below. “Why didn’t you?”

Keith’s shoulders slumped and he started moving to his left. “I don’t know. I couldn’t.” He was defeated, and he could hear it in his voice.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?” Keith said, exasperated. He turned, looking at Lance over his shoulder.

Lance leaned towards him, his eyebrows furrowed. “Because I want to remember what you say, right now, at this moment.”

“Oh for the love of--” Keith turned towards him, annoyed. “I was a coward! I was weak! I  _ wouldn’t _ kill a dragon!”

“You said ‘wouldn’t’ that time.”

“Oh, whatever! I wouldn’t!” Keith flung his arms, his irritation getting the better of him. “Three hundred years, and I’m the first Viking who wouldn’t kill a dragon!”

Lance’s expression softened, and to Keith, it looked like pity. He turned away, more angry at himself than he had been before. “First to ride on though.” Something in Keith shifted, and some of the angry slipped away. “So…”

“I wouldn’t kill him because he looked as frightened as I was.” Keith turned back towards Lance, but kept his eyes down. “I looked at him, and I saw myself.” He looked up at Lance, and what he’d mistaken for pity was actually understanding. Or an attempt at understanding.

“I bet he’s really frightened now. What are you going to do about it?” 

Keith’s shoulders dropped, knowing Lance was right.  _ What am I going to do? _ “I don’t know, probably something stupid.”

Lance smiled a little at him. “Good. But you’ve already done that.” His voice was leading him somewhere, and it took Keith a moment to think of what it was. A thought dawned on him, and he felt himself feel a little braver.

“Then something crazy.” He started backing away from Lance, turning to run down the walkway down the cliff. He had a thought, a vague feeling for a plan, a tugging in his brain that was pulling him towards somewhere that would, hopefully, fix everything.

He heard Lance say “That’s more like it” behind him, but he didn’t turn back to see him. He knew that he was smiling, could hear it in his voice. Keith heard him running after him, following him.  _ Gods, I hope this works. _

-.-.-

Keith stood in front of the Monstrous Nightmare cage, looking at the locking mechanism. At the scorch marks on the iron. At the scratches on the wood. It’d only been a few hours since he’d been in the arena, but it felt like days. Everything seemed so long past since that morning.

“If you’re planning on getting eaten, I’d definitely go with the Gronckle.” Keith turned around, hearing Hunk’s voice. He saw everyone -- Hunk, Lance, Allura, Matt, Pidge -- standing there behind him, watching him.

“You were wise to seek help from the world’s most deadly weapon,” Matt said, walking towards him. Keith looked at him in confusion, not entirely sure what he meant. “That’s me.”

Allura walked forward, shoving Matt out of the way. “I  _ love _ this plan!” Keith took a step back, his confusion growing. 

“I didn’t-”

She was pushed out of the way by Pidge, who stood way too close for comfort. “You’re crazy! I like that.”

Lance walked forward, taking hold of Pidge’s helmet, and pulling them out of his space. “So? What  _ is _ the plan?”

Keith looked at him, starting the smile. He looked around Lance at the others, his smile growing. He knew he was going to sound crazy. Knew his plan was crazy and had a high probability of failing. But it was the only one he had.

“The plan is simple: We ride the dragons to the nest and save the village.”

He was expecting the looks of disbelief. Was expecting the others to look at him like he’d rolled around in sheep dung. So instead of trying to explain, he unlocked the Nightmare cage, leading it out slowly.

Keith used the same trick he used with Kosmo with the Nightmare: facing towards it, holding eye contact, keeping one hand near its snout at all times. He back up towards the group, hearing various sounds of awe and amazement.

He backed up, leading the dragon towards Allura, stepping sideways so that he was standing next to her. Keith reached for her hand, pulling it towards the dragon, and she immediately tried to pull away. “Wait! What are you--?!”

The dragon got a little antsy, and Keith shushed her, keeping his voice steady to keep the dragon calm. “Relax, it’s okay... “ He pulled her hand over to the dragon’s snout, replacing his with hers. “It’s okay.”

The Nightmare looked at her like they’d known each other for forever. Allura relaxed, laughing slightly as the dragon nuzzled against her hand. Keith smiled, walking over to the weapons bin.  _ Maybe this will actually work. _ “Keith?! Where are you going?!”

Keith rummaged through the bin, pulling out coils of rope. “You’ve going to need something to help you hold on.” The rest of the dragons walked out, seeing their friend unharmed, and the rest of the teens turned around to see the dragons.

Without any direction, the dragons walked towards them -- the Zippleback to Matt and Pidge, the Gronckle to Hunk, and the Nadder to Lance. The teens all reached out a hand, and the dragons followed suit with the Nightmare -- nuzzling against their hands, staying calm. Keith smiled seeing it. Seeing them bonding with dragons like he had with Kosmo.

A slight pang of guilt shot through his chest, but he pushed it away. If this plan worked, then Kosmo would be safe, and he’d be with his best friend again, whether that be on Marmora or not. He walked back to the group. “It’s time for a crash course on dragon flying.”

-.-.-

They only got maybe an hour of practice in before the clouds started rolling in. Keith would’ve preferred more time, but that was something they just didn’t have. His eyes scanned the group. They had gotten over their initial fear of riding their dragons, but they still weren’t as comfortable as he would’ve hoped.

“Alright guys, we gotta move, and we gotta move now,” Keith said, walking towards Lance and the Nadder. He held his hand out, letting the dragon get acquainted with his scent, and hoisted himself onto its back. “We have to make it to Dragon Island before the village, our  _ family _ , find the beast. Or worse -- it finds them.”

His words hung in the air, all eyes on him. Keith did another scan before nodding. “Okay, let’s go!” He wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist as the Nadder took off, holding tightly. It was different riding passenger -- he was so used to leading where he flew, seeing what was ahead. He felt helpless without Kosmo.

Lance steered them out past the sea stacks, the way they’d gone with Kosmo, and Keith looked behind him, seeing the others following. Albeit wobbly, but staying in the air. The clouds grew heavier the further out they flew, and the fog started rolling in. Soon, Marmora was no longer in sight, the air chilled from the ocean below.

The flight there seemed to drag on forever, dread filling Keith’s stomach.  _ What if we’re too late? What if the village was gone? Decimated? What if Kosmo was killed? _ Keith shook his head, forcing those thoughts out. He couldn’t be thinking like that. Not when so much was on the line.

They entered another set of sea stacks, ones that were so different from their own. “We’re close,” Keith called back to the others. He heard the distant roar of a massive dragon, a stone dropping in his stomach. “We have to hurry! The beast is out!”

The dragons were skittish, their instincts telling them to stay away. But their riders kept them on course. They could see the island in front of them. Black smoke billowed from the far shore, and they heard shouting. Keith spotted his dad and Coran on the beach, trying to get the beasts attention. “Aim for the back of the head!”

The Nadder and Nightmare both let out a fireball, hitting the beast squarely in the back of the head. It roared and turned, looking for them. The group flew around the other side, staying out of sight. Their path took them in front of it, and Keith looked back. “Matt! Pidge! Watch your backs!”

Keith traded places with Lance, carefully walking along the dragon’s back. It was unstable, but they were successful. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist as they banked hard, coming round back to the dragon. “Move Hunk!” Hunk veered right, narrowly avoiding the beast’s head.

“Look at us! We’re on a dragon! We’re on dragons! All of us!” Matt yelled, excitement ringing in his voice. Keith let himself smile for a moment before focusing back on the beast.

They flew over the burning ships, making and arch back to the beast. They kept their distance, allowing them time to figure out all they could about the beast. “Hunk, what do we got?”

“Okay! Heavily armoured skull and tail made for bashing and crushing! Stay as far away from that as possible. Small eyes, large nostrils! So it relies on sight and sound!” Hunk said. Keith eyed the beast, watched the way it moved. It was deceptively quick, it’s movement sharp but still sluggish. It’s attention was currently on the boats nearest to it, so they had still had time.  _ He _ still had time to devise a plan.

He looked back at the group, his thoughts whirring faster than he could keep up with. “Right! Allura, Hunk, hand in its blind spot! Make some noise, keep it confused! Matt, Pidge, find out if it has a shot limit! Make it mad!”

“That’s my specialty!” Pidge said proudly.

“Since when?! Everyone knows  _ I’m _ more irritating! See?!” Matt tipped his dragon head upside down the it started teetering.

“Guys! Just do what I told you!” They nodded, and the dragon stabilized. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Keith veered the Nadder back towards the burning ships, his only thought being to get to Kosmo.

He heard reassurances coming from the others as they headed towards the beast, but he couldn’t focus on them. They made a pass over the flames, and Kosmo let out a loud roar. “There!” They dove towards the sound, weaving through burning masts and charred sails.

Keith and Lance traded places again, and Keith waited until the Nadder was hovering over the boat before jumping. He was instantly enveloped in smoke, and he coughed a few times. The heat was intense, the surrounding flames making things waver in the heat. He looked up at Lance. “Go help the others!”

He saw Lance waver a second before nodding, turning around to head back to the beast. He focused on Kosmo, on the restraints holding him. “Okay, hold on, hold on.” Keith tugged the belt off of his head, tossing it somewhere behind him. He grabbed a broken spear, lodging it in the rings that held the chains in place, trying to pry them up.

The beast’s tail swiped at the boats, and a burning mast fell towards them. Keith rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed, the heat singeing his skin. The tail took out most of the wood on the upper part of the boat, and a foot came down in front of them. It flung Kosmo and Keith into the water, and the shock made him gasp. He swam to the surface to get breath before swimming down towards Kosmo.

Kosmo was writhing and struggling against his binds, sinking lower and lower into the water. Keith caught up to him, pulling at the shackles and chains. His lungs were burning from lack of oxygen, and his head was starting to feel light.  _ I can’t give up. I have to free him. _ Keith thought, using all of energy to rip the chain free.

His vision started growing dark, and his body went limp. He couldn’t hold his breath any longer, and he started floating towards the surface, his vision continuing to darken. He felt a hand grab him and yank him through the water, lifting him out and putting him on shore. He coughed a few times, his lungs on fire, and he sat up, trying to see who had pulled him out. The figure jumped back in the water, but the coat was unmistakable. “Dad?”

Keith kept his eyes on where his dad had dived, trying to figure out why he would go back in? To save Kosmo? He didn’t know, but a few moments later Kosmo came roaring out of the water, his dad in his clutches. He glided over Keith, dropping his dad off next to him, and perched on the rocks above.

Kosmo flicked his head to the side, a signal Keith knew all too well. “You got it bud.” He ran over, settling into the saddle as fast as he could. “Keith!” His dad grabbed his arm, making him freeze. There was a look in his eyes he’d never seen before. Fear. Pride, maybe? “Keith, I’m sorry… for-- for everything.”

There was definitely guilt in his voice. “Yeah, me too dad.”

“You don’t have to go up there,” his dad said. There was an underlying tone of fear that he was trying to hide.

Keith laughed a little. “We’re Vikings. It’s an occupational hazard.”

Ryou covered Keith’s hand with his, his eyes shining. “I’m proud to call you my son.” And he believed it. He could see the pride in his eyes. Could hear it in his voice.

Something twisted in Keith’s chest. “Thanks dad.” He turned back towards the beast. “Let’s go help the others.”

They took off for the beast, flying as fast they could. The wind whipped at his face, chilling him to the bone, but his only focus was the beast. He saw Hunk on the ground with the Gronckle. Saw Lance, Matt, and Pidge still flying around the beast. Saw Allura on the beast.

Matt and Pidge flew forward, and Allura jumped, clinging to the Zippleback’s necks. They veered right, and Lance followed. The beast’s head followed, and it opened its mouth. Air started rushing in, and the Nadder was losing the battle to get them away.

Kosmo shot towards them, shooting a fireball at the beast’s mouth. It fell to the side, the shock wave and hit making it falter. The sudden release of air caused the Nadder to shoot to the side, and Lance fell from it’s back, free falling.

They circled back, diving towards him. “Did you get him?” Keith asked, unable to see. Kosmo tipped his head down, making a noise of confirmation. They flew low over the shore, dropping him off, before flying back towards the beast.

They were well above the beast, and Keith looked down at it. “That thing has wings. Okay, let’s see if it can use them!” Their ascent slowed to a stop, the wind catching in Kosmo wings, and the rolled, flying back down through the cloud cover. They shot another blast at it’s back, causing it to fall to the side.

Kosmo took them towards the sea stacks, and Keith looked behind them. “Do you think that did it?” The beast ripped through the clouds behind them, its roars angry and it’s movements slow. “Well, it can fly.” They weaved through the sea stacks, making tight turns and going through tight spaces. The beast followed, crashing through the rocks and causing them to tumble in the water.

It was gaining on them, and they were running out of sea stacks to hide in. He looked up at the clouds. “Okay Kosmo, time to disappear!” He shifted tail positions and they shot upwards. “Come on bud!” They shot up into the clouds, and the beast dragging behind. He heard the telltale sound of a fire shot coming. “Here it comes!”

Kosmo veered the right as flames shot up on the left. The beast was erratic, swinging its head from side to side, unable to hit them. Unable to see them. They hid not too far from it, watching its movements. It kept turning, looking for them. Keith steered them back towards the beast, just close enough to fire off a shot, hitting its wing. It turned towards where they had been, but they were on the other side now.

More shots to its wings, purple-green light lighting up the clouds. Over and over, hitting their target every time. Thee beast couldn’t keep up, couldn’t find them, couldn’t catch them. It started falling, letting of streams of fire in its desperation. They got too close and tried to roll away. “Watch it!” The tail fin got caught in the path, and it was burning away quickly.

“Okay, time’s up.” Keith’s voice shook, the adrenaline starting to give way to fear. Let’s see if this works.” They shot down towards the beast, flying by its head. “COME ON! IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!” The beast eyes them angrily, trying to snap at them. The started descending through the clouds, and the beast followed after.

Kosmo’s flight was starting to become unstable, the tail fin reduced to almost nothing. Keith did everything he could to keep them from falling through the sky, but he could tell Kosmo was starting to panic. “Stay with me buddy, we’re good. Just a little bit longer.”

Keith heard the beast starting to gather gas in his mouth, and he closed his eyes. “Hold Kosmo…” After a few seconds, he opened them again, pulling on the saddle. “NOW!” Kosmo rolled onto his back and shot a fireball into the beast’s mouth. The gas caught fire, and it trailed out of the corners of its mouth as they fell.

He knew below them was the rocky shore of the island, could tell by the way the beast’s eyes widened. It flared out its wings, trying to slow itself, but the shots they’d fired earlier had torn holes in the membrane. The force of the wind widened them, and Keith could hear the sickening sound them ripping.

They flipped back and used the wind to their advantage, Kosmo’s wings catching and shooting them up past the beast, back up into the clouds. The wind dragged them to the beast’s back, and behind them, they saw a massive fireball gaining on them from where the dragon hit the shore.

Kosmo weaved through the spines, dodging them as he sped away from the flames. They were gaining fast, and they were barely keeping their distance. Keith tried to change the tail fin position, tried to get them more speed, but all he heard was clicking. He looked behind him and saw the frame fall away. He looked back in front of them and the tail was coming at them too fast to move. “No. NO!”

The tail hit them. Kosmo went flying away and Keith was knocked from the saddle. He felt heat at his back, and remembered seeing Kosmo falling towards him, but he blacked out before he could feel anything else.

-.-.-

Keith woke up to Kosmo warbling at him, sitting beside him. He was in his bed, the blanket pulled close to his chin. His eyelids felt heavy, but he forced them open. Kosmo nudged his face a few times, and he smiled. “Hey Kosmo.” Kosmo started licking him, looking excited to see him. “I’m happy to see you too, bud.” Kosmo kept nudging Keith, almost making him fall as he climbed onto the bed, and one of his feet landed on Keith’s stomach. 

He sat up, doubled over a second at the sudden weight. “Ow! What--” He cut himself off, looking around. He was home. In bed. Kosmo was here. In his home. “I’m in my house.  _ You’re _ in my house!” Kosmo started jumping around the room, knocking things over in his excitement. “Uh, does my dad know you’re here?!”

“Okay, okay-- no, Kosmo!” Kosmo leapt away from the bed, climbing onto one of the rafters near the ceiling. “Aw, come on…” Keith leaned forward to get out of bed, but stopped. Something didn’t feel right. He pulled the blanket away from his body, his blood going cold.

He heard Kosmo drop to the floor, coming towards him. He looked up at Kosmo, his thoughts disordered and unclear. He looked back down at himself. His leg… it was gone. In its place was a wood and metal mechanism. Keith swung it over the edge of the bed, sitting, testing.

Kosmo sniffed at it before lifting his head to eye level. Keith looked at him distraughtly. He didn’t know what had happened. Didn’t know how it had happened. All he knew was that his leg was gone. He took a few deep breaths and used the end of his bed to him stand. He instinctively put all his weight on his left leg, unsure of what would happen if he put any weight on the right one.

He took a step with his real leg, almost falling, and took a deep breath. He tried to take a step with his right, and fell almost immediately. Kosmo was there to catch him and lift him up. Keith leaned against him, using him for support. “Thanks bud.” They made their way to the door, and when Keith opened it, he was met with the growl of a Monstrous Nightmare.

Keith closed the door quickly, leaning against it. “Kosmo, stay there.” He opened the door again, and was met with Allura’s voice from atop the dragon.

“Come on guys, get ready! Hold on tight! Here we go!” Behind her were Hunk, Matt, and Pidge, all riding their dragons. They flew past his door, and Kosmo nudged his arm.

He walked out onto the steps, looking around at the village. There were dragons everywhere -- perched on houses, milling around on the ground, flying around. It was exactly what he’d dreamed. “I knew it. I’m dead.”

“No, but you gave it your best shot.” His father came up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Keith looked up at him, the hints of a smile hiding under his beard. “So? What do you think?” Keith walked down the steps, his father following close behind.

The Vikings started running towards him when they saw him, asking how he was, saying it was great to see him. It was so strange when he was used to being told to go back inside and stay out of the way. Ryou stood behind him, smiling wide with pride. “Turns out all we needed was a little more of… this.”

He gestured at Keith, and Keith looked at him confusedly. “You just gestured to  _ all _ of me.” His dad smiled down at him and nodded.

“Well, most of you.” Coran came up beside Ryou. “That bit’s my handiwork,” he pointed down at his prosthetic, “with a little “Keith Flair” thrown in. You think it’ll do?”

Keith looked down at it, laughing a little. “Well, I might make a few tweaks.” The crowd around him started laughing as well, and it felt so surreal. Going from the worst Viking in history to becoming a hero. Dragons milling about the village. It had to be a dream. He’d wake up and this would all be a dream.

Someone punched his shoulder from behind and he turned, seeing Lance standing there. “That’s for scaring me.”

Keith sputtered, turning to face him. “What, is it always going to be this way? Cause…” He was cut off as Lance grabbed his shirt, pulling him close. He kissed him, much like he had the night that Keith had convinced Lance that dragons weren’t just monsters. But this time, on the lips. It was brief, but Keith could taste something sweet on him. Lance pulled away, and Keith nodded his head a little. “...I could get used to it.”

He saw something red out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Coran holding a bundle in his arms. Coran handed it to him, smiling down at him. “Welcome home.” Keith smiled, knowing exactly what he was holding. A new saddle and tail fin, a hook to hold his prosthetic. He couldn’t help but feel something beyond happiness wash over him.

“Kosmic Wing! Get down!” He turned to the cries, seeing Kosmo jumping from shoulder to shoulder, person to person. He knocked down everyone standing between him and Keith, and Keith hid behind the new saddle in embarrassment.

Keith didn’t waste any time in getting the equipment on Kosmo. The dragon could all but sit still as he did so. The red stood out against Kosmo’s tail, but it was oddly fitting for him. He hooked himself into the saddle, and his prosthetic clicked into place. Keith gave it a few test movements, watching the fin move.

Lance lined up next to him on his Nadder, and he patted Kosmo’s head. “You ready bud?” Kosmo warbled at him. Keith looked ahead, seeing the village filled with dragons. He watched in amazement at far they’d come, seeing people who had wanted to kill every dragon riding one, feeding another. It was still so surreal, but he knew it wasn’t a dream.

They took off, bounding into the sky. They flew through the village, under bridges, and between pyres, collecting their friends as they went. It was all so new and so exciting. And for once, Keith didn’t feel like an outcast for his love of dragons. He felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "This... is Berk. It snow nine months of the year, and hails the other three. Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. The only upsides are the pets. While other places have... ponies or parrots, we have... dragons!"


End file.
